


𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚢 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕

by MaddieFurtado



Series: She's Just a Fangirl [1]
Category: JONAS, Jonas Brothers
Genre: Aunt Lisa is the cool aunt, Brotherly Love, Childhood Friends, Danielle is IRL Danielle, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, How Nick and Macy end up together, Joella, Kevin is bae, Life Lessons, Love Confessions, Macy and Stella - bffs 4ever, Macy is a BAMF, Macy is actually chill, Mild Language, Multi, Nacy, Nacy is the main ship - i ship them so hard, Nick being an idiot, Nick has a lot of angst, Nick is stupid, Nostalgia, Parent Death, Sandy Lucas is Mom goals, Single Parents, Slow Burn, Stella and Joe get their shit together, Stella is insecure, Stella is like family, Teenage Dorks, Teenage Drama, Tour Bus, Tour Life is hard, Van Dyke is a jerk, Will get to the other ships, Young Love, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 81,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21926563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieFurtado/pseuds/MaddieFurtado
Summary: Text Copyright 2019 © Maddie Furtado“Look, we know she’s awful but she’s a friend, and we said we’d let her record…”I could feel Joe’s eyes burning a look at me.“We’re not going to use it in the CD anyway.” Joe explained quickly.Kevin butted in saying, “We know Macy isn’t the greatest singer… as soon as we were finished recording, we were going to erase her voice, and no one will ever have to hear her sing again.”“We were just trying to get through it without hurting her feelings.” He finished, solemnly.“Well, that’s all very considerate but she’s standing RIGHT there.”
Relationships: Joe Lucas/Stella Malone, Kevin Lucas/Danielle, Nick Lucas/Macy Misa
Series: She's Just a Fangirl [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721569
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	1. we fucked up

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ THE SERIES DESCRIPTION & THE NOTES BEFORE STARTING THE STORY!!!!!
> 
> Hey-yo. What's good fellow jonantic??? You have great taste in music & men btw. ;) Anyway, thanks for checking out this masterpiece I created lol

Nick's POV

“Look, we know she’s awful but she’s a **friend,** and we said we’d let her record…”

I could feel Joe’s eyes burning a look at me.

“We’re not going to use it in the CD anyway.” Joe explained quickly.

Kevin butted in saying, “We know Macy isn’t the greatest singer… as soon as we were finished recording, we were going to erase her voice, and no one will ever have to hear her sing again.”

“We were just trying to get through it without hurting her feelings.” He finished, solemnly.

“Well, that’s all very considerate but she’s standing RIGHT there.”

My brothers and I turned our faces to where she was standing and caught sight of her. The face of a broken-hearted girl. I’ll admit, in that moment, I’ve never felt so terrible in my life. Seeing her like that really shook me.

Macy is always happy, smiling and WE made her feel like this…. Her number one favourite band? Her idols? No, us. Kevin, Joe and me, Nick Lucas. I really thought my plan was fool proof… but I guess I was the fool.

“Macy I-…” Kevin called out, meekly.

Before Kevin could say anything, Macy ran down the stairs, crying.

“Aw, man…”

* * *

“Great Job guys! Macy’s devastated.”

“Don't worry, we already feel just as terrible as you’d hope.” Joe admitted.

“Actually, we feel worse.” I stated matter-of-factly.

I know at least I do. I honestly never felt like such a jerk. To me, Macy was just Stella’s friend. She was a fan of ours, that on occasion would faint or hit us with her sports equipment whenever she saw us. I was used to crazy fan behaviour, but I don’t think I’ve ever been hit so many times by a fan.

Some fans have ripped, grabbed at my clothes, held my hand or wrist, chased me… but hit me? That was another level of fangirl. But I try to always remind myself not to get mad about it though, because I know it’s never intentional…. It just gets annoying to constantly duck and cover or have a sore hand from being hit by a golf club or baseball bat. It’s hard to play with a sore hand, you know.

Joe calls her crazy, but I know he has a soft spot for her. Joe has a soft spot for any girl that finds him attractive. And plus, he has no choice BUT to like her, she IS Stella’s best girlfriend. And then there’s Kevin. He likes her, he thinks she’s sweet but in an “uncoordinated” sort of way. I don’t think my older brother has ever used a word like that until he met Macy. He likes when she hangs with us but tries to keep his distance from her, not make it too obvious to hurt her feelings.

The point I’m trying to make is that, we appreciate Macy. We like her, we do. But at a safe distance. Macy is an amazing fan, and we are grateful for fans like her who has stuck by us since the beginning of our career.

I guess that’s why it was so hard to let her down…. why I asked her if she was still up for singing back up on our track, even though Kevin and Joe were completely against it. I told my brothers it was because Kevin looked like he was going to faint for having to tell her the truth. So, I conjured up a plan to get us out of it.

But honestly… I couldn’t hurt her feelings, which scared me a bit… I’m usually the logical Lucas Brother who does what’s right, even if it could potentially hurt someone’s feelings but…I decided to lie instead.


	2. kevin is sorry, well...we're all sorry

Nick's POV

“Hey guys, so I talked to Macy.”

“No way! That’s great Kev!" Joe smiled, patting Kevin’s back. "How did it go?"

"What did you say to her?” I asked. 

Joe and I were sitting at our usual round table during our spare, looking over our notes for tests we were having during our next periods. Bio and English. Joe and I perked up, waiting for the details from Kevin.

“Well first, I told her how I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but I ended up making it way worse and that I’ve should have just been straight with her from the very beginning. Then I told her that I was really sorry.”

Wow. He actually did it. I’m impressed. Guess Stella didn’t have to talk to Macy, after all.

“What did she say?”

“She said that she felt terrible that I felt terrible!" Kevin sputtered. 

"Why does _she_ feel terrible? We're the ones who messed up?" Joe pointed out, confused.

"I know right?" Kevin agreed. "So, I suggested that we should both just stop feeling terrible for each other and start a new.”

“Which of course she was down for.” Joe laughed. I looked over at Joe with an unamused expression.

“And then Stella came over to us and they talked for a bit, something about hopeless bunnies and that was pretty much it.” He finished in a high-pitched voice.

“Are you sure that’s all that happened?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, looking down at his bandaged fingers.

Joe snorted.

“Well…" 

Joe and I raised an eyebrow at Kevin, waiting for him to spit it out.

"She did manage to hurt me, but it was an accident!” He confessed quickly, shaking his hands at Joe, trying to stop him from laughing. 

Joe laughed hard, clutching his stomach. Kevin looked around, worried. 

"Joe! Shhh! What if she walks by us?" Kevin scolded. Joe continued to laugh.

“I knew it! Every single time! Every encounter we have with her, one of us gets hurt! It’s inevitable.” He laughed again.

“Reading your calendar again Joseph?” I smirked. Joe stopped laughing and gave me a dirty look. Kevin chuckled lightly. 

Well, I'm glad that Kevin was able to apologize to Macy. I still feel like a real jerk. What we did to Macy was not cool. It's never cool to do that to someone, especially to someone like Macy. I then started to shake my head to clear the upcoming guilty thoughts that were popping in my brain. 

“Well, I feel like it was deserved this time, don’t you? We really shouldn’t lie to our friends.” I replied, closing my textbook.

“Don’t you mean _fans?_ ” Joe asked, grabbing his books off the table.

“No, friends. Macy is our _friend_ … right?”

Kevin looked down at his bandaged hand. Joe cleared his throat, looking between me and Kevin, smiling.

“Yeah, she is.”

We sat there, smiling at each other, when the bell finally rang.

“See you guys later! Don’t forget, we have band practice tonight!” I called, walking away.

We said our goodbyes, split up and went to our next classes. At least this whole thing is over with now…. But why do I still have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach?


	3. no longer our #1 fan

Nick's POV

“Ugh! Why is isn’t it loading?” Joe growled.

Sigh. Typical Saturday for my brothers and me. We decided to lounge around the firehouse this weekend... we thought the living room was a good place to start. Tv, comfortable couches and yummy snacks were just a few steps away in the kitchen.

Mom and Dad went out for the weekend with Frankie because they feel like they haven’t spent much time with him since our band started to blow up. Which I agree with…I really feel bad about it. I can’t speak for my brothers but…maybe when he get’s back, Frankster and I can go shag some flies?

“What are you talking about, Joe?” I asked, looking up from my notebook, scribbling down some lyrics.

I suddenly felt some inspiration since the whole “Lying to Macy” fiasco is now finally over.

“Macy’s fan page! It’s not loading!” He sighed, frustrated.

“Did you try refreshing it?” Kevin inquired, throwing his legs up onto the couch. Mom would be having a fit right now if she was here.

“Yes! Duh! It’s not loading at all!” Joe complained, shutting the laptop.

“Why do you care about her fangirl website anyway?” I asked, picking up my guitar next to me.

“Because Macy writes a lot of stuff about us on there! I - wanted to see something…” Joe finished, weakly.

“Like what?” Kevin asked, changing the channel on the TV.

Joe sighed.

“If you must know…. I wanted to see if she wrote anything about..., you know…”

“Oh, us lying to her?” Kevin suggested.

Ouch man.

“Yeah and some other things! I don’t know... I thought she might have said something.” Joe admitted.

“Joe, all Macy talks about on that website is about our music, our tours.” I listed, picking up my pencil again and jotting some notes down. “Maybe some interviews?”

“I know but she also has discussions with other fans. You should have seen the forums on there!” Joe replied, walking over to sit next to me, grabbed my guitar off my lap and plucked a few strings.

Kevin laughed.

“What could they be possibly talking about? Which Jonas member has the best hair? Which is me, obviously.”

“You wish, Kevin.” Joe scoffed, handing back me my guitar.

“Well, how about which one of us falls the most on stage?” I chuckled, looking over a Joe.

Joe wore an unamused expression. Kevin and I looked at each other and laughed.

“Funny.” Joe replied, deadpanned. “Forget it.”

Joe suddenly got up and started to walk out of the living room, towards the stairs. Kevin and I looked at each other with worry. Was he really that upset about this?

“Joe wait…” Kevin called out.

“Joe!”

“Can’t you guys see what’s going on here?” He exclaimed, turning around, crossing his arms together.

Where is Joe getting at? Joe had a disappointed look on his face. The last time I’ve seen him look this upset was Christmas two years ago, about not getting the gift he wanted from Santa aka mom and dad.

He sighed at our confused expressions.

“She deleted the page, guys. She doesn’t like us anymore… Macy Misa is no longer our #1 Jonas fan. And frankly, that makes me feel… like utter crap.”


	4. feels like a game

Nick's POV

“Hey Stella.”

“Nick, oh my gosh. You scared me!” She yelled, smacking me lightly on the arm. “I told you to stop that!”

“Sorry.” I replied sheepishly, rubbing my arm.

What can I say? I’m a silent guy. I don’t really say much, so I tend to scare people when I approach them.

“Anyway, what’s up?” She asked, pulling a piece of fabric out of her locker, admiring it.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked nervously, rubbing the back of my head.

“Nick, just say what’s wrong already.” She stated, crossing her arms.

“Well, it’s just about something Joe said to Kevin and me this weekend. It’s kind of bothering me. I thought maybe you’d have some answers.”

“Okay?” She prodded.

I looked around me before I continued. Stella had a confused face, looking around with me.

“It’s about Macy.”

“Macy? What about Macy?” She asked, still clearly confused. 

“Did she actually delete her fan page? The Jonas fan club page?”

“Oh!” She replied, slightly shocked.

I looked at her, waiting for an answer.

“Um… yeah. She did. Kind of crazy isn’t it?” She laughed lightly, turning back to her locker, grabbing some books for her next class.

“Why though? Is she… still mad at us? Does she… hate us?”

She softly gasped, turning back towards me.

“Macy…mad at you guys? Hating you guys? No, not at all!” She smiled, placing her free hand on my shoulder. “Its quite the opposite actually!” She laughed.

I shrugged her hand off my shoulder.

“Then what is the reason?” I asked, growing impatient.

Stella plays way too much. Out with-it already.

She frowned slightly.

“You know, I answered all your questions, Nick. Macy is not mad, nor does she hate you guys.”

I started to frown. Then what is it? But before I could say anything back, Stella spoke up.

“But if you really want to know what’s going on with her, why don’t you just ask her yourself?” She suggested, slamming her locker closed and walking away.

I sighed. I started to feel the weird feeling in my stomach again. Why do I feel like this? What is this feeling? What is going on with me!?


	5. grumpy rockstar

Nick's POV

The next morning, after that conversation with Stella, for some reason, I woke up really pissed off. I was irritable and frankly in a bad mood. I didn’t really want to go to school but my mom insisted that we go today.

Dad and mom were going out early this morning to run errands. Something about getting some stuff ready for a tour this summer. I don’t know. But she did make us breakfast though. Eggs, toast, and bacon with milk or orange juice as our choice of drink.

My brothers and I were enjoying our breakfast, before Kevin started to talk out loud to himself. 

“In class: 0. Different grade means different teachers/classes. In the halls: Roughly 10 times. Just a wave hello and a smile. At lunch: total of 5 times. Never around during lunch time...”

“Kevin, what are you doing?” Joe asked.

I took a bite of my toast, eyeing my brothers. What the hell was he writing down?

“I was tallying up all the times I’ve seen Macy in this past week at school. In total: 15 times.” He concluded, closing his notebook. “Seems like it’s less every passing day.”

“Why are you doing that anyway?” Joe asked with a raised eyebrow. He grabbed a piece of toast off the plate in front of him.

“I don’t know. I’ve just noticed I haven’t seen much of Macy lately. Ever since… you know.” He finished, pouring some milk in his glass.

“Hm, now that I think about it, me too. I’ve obviously seen Stella everywhere but she’s never with her when I do…” Joe said, more to himself then anyone around him.

I let out a deep sigh, picking up my glass to take a sip of my orange juice.

Why were they concerning themselves with this? Macy is around…. most of the time. She’s no longer mad at us or hate us or even hitting us for that matter. I found that all out myself. This whole thing was over. Why can’t they just move on already?

And so, what? Maybe she’s a bit busy and hasn’t had time to hang with us much? She IS on every sports team in school. Why is this such a problem to them? It’s not like we hung out with Macy a lot, even before the whole “lying” situation. 

“I don’t see why we are even talking about this?” I snapped suddenly, dropping my glass hard on the table, a little more then I meant to.

“Woah dude.”

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat.

“There are other things to stress about! We need to have our album done by the end of the month before Malcom Mackle comes to the house.” I started ranting.

“Nick we-”

“We’re shooting a music video next week for our latest single… that Joe hardly knows the lyrics too!”

“Hey!” Joe frowned, dropping his fork on his plate.

“Nick wait we- “

“And Dad is planning a tour for us this summer that we need to be ready for!” I continued, ignoring Kevin. “There are so many other things to stress about other than Miss Macy Misa!”

“Nick. Calm down. We were only seeing.” Kevin pointed out, pulling his napkin off his lap.

“Yeah man. Chill. We were only talking.”

“Yeah, talking about nonsense. We have other stuff to talk about other than her.” I replied, staring at the eggs on my plate, that are now growing cold. I suddenly lost my appetite.

There was complete silence at the dining table. No one said anything. The only thing that was heard was the ticking of mom’s clock that she hung up in the kitchen.

“Oh my god. You… like her.”

Kevin gasped loudly.

“What?”

“You like Macy!”

“Of course, I like Macy.” I stated, feeling that feeling in my stomach again. “Just like you guys.”

“No! Not like that. I mean you LIKE like her.” Joe shot back, laughing.

“God Joe, how old ARE you?” I grumbled, leaning over to grab my backpack next to me. “LIKE like?”

“THIS MAKES TOTAL SENSE NOW! WOW!” Joe laughed harder, wiping tears out of his eyes.

“Joe, stop.”

“Shut up! You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I replied angrily, walking towards to front door.

“Well enlighten us then, lover boy!” Joe teased, following close behind with his backpack.

I ignored him and made my way to the front door to leave.

“Okay guys, that’s enough now. I’ll drive us to school. We’re going to be late.” Kevin suggested, holding his keys and backpack. 

“How come I didn’t see this coming sooner?”

Joe ran up to the front door and closed it before I could even step outside.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped at him. He’s really pushing it now! Kevin then pushed himself between me and Joe, silently hoping we wouldn’t start to get physical.

“Come on Nick! Not being able to see Macy bothers you just as much as us! Maybe even more. You’re angry about it! It’s obvious bro!” Joe theorized, wrapping his arms together.

I sighed heavily, shaking my head. Why can he just move? He doesn’t know what’s he’s talking about!

“What do you want from me, Joe?”

“Just say how you actually feel! Just admit it! You have feelings for Macy! And not seeing her, is killing you!”

We were all standing at the door, waiting to see who was going to talk first. Joe and I were just staring at each other. I let out an impatient growl.

Kevin sighed.

“Okay guys! Enough! Joseph move out of the way or so help me god, I’ll tell mom what you did with her favourite flower vase, the one that she hasn’t pulled out in years!”

Joe swallowed, hard.

“C’mon Kev. Why you gotta do me like that?”

“I mean it. Move.”

“Fine, gosh.”

He then moved out of the way, letting me grab the handle of the door and open it. While clenching my jaw shut, trying not to say anything else to start up another argument, I stomped my way over to Kevin’s car, waiting for him to unlock the back doors.

I was already regretting getting up this morning, this was just icing on the cake.


	6. great big JONAS jerk

Nick's POV

“Hey guys!”

Ah, Stella. Right on time. She always sits with us during our lunch period. Gossiping about todays drama or talking about her ideas for the Stellavator – patent pending. She’s been coming alone lately, she used to have Macy come with her. I honestly think that was the only time Macy was ever normal around us.

It was fine at first, but now it feels weird not having her around. I guess my brothers were right about one thing, it does anger me. But I’ll never admit to Joe that he was right. Before, Macy would do anything to get close to us but now…. I feel like we never see her.

I felt like, after that “lying situation”, Macy and my brothers and I were…I don’t know, sort of…friends now? How come she’s never around. It feels like she’s avoiding us. And if she is… I’d like to know why. 

“That’s crazy right? Kimmy should just dump him, right?”

“Yeah. Totally. He’s such a jerk.” Joe agreed.

Kevin was playing with his fork, ignoring the whole conversation. I was moving my food around on my plate, lost in my thoughts.

“Anyway, you guys busy Friday night?”

“I don’t think so?” Joe replied smiling. He pulled out his phone, to check our schedule that dad always sends us. “What’s up?”

“Great! I would love it if you guys came somewhere with me! Macy is having her first soccer game for her tournament Friday night. Do you guys want to come with me?” She asked, sipping her water bottle.

I snapped out of my thoughts, upon hearing her name.

“Macy?” was all I said.

Kevin and Joe smiled, knowingly.

Stella raised an eyebrow at me. I swallowed hard and cleared my throat.

“You sure that’s a good idea? Maybe she will get… I don’t know, distracted if she knew we were there?” I suggested.

“No. Macy is pretty competitive. She loves to win. Nothing will stop her from winning, not even you guys.” She laughed, flipping her hair back.

Joe chuckled.

“Sounds like someone we know.”

I gave Joe a dirty look.

“Okay?” She replied confused. “Anyway… you guys in?”

“Sure!” Kevin smiled.

“Yeah, why not?” Joe replied.

I just nodded my head.

“Great! Why don’t we meet after last period on Friday…Kevin do you think you can drive us to game?”

Before Kevin could answer, I cut in.

“Is that why you want us to go? For a free ride?” I laughed.

“No, actually.” She stated, frowning.

“It’s just Macy’s mom usually goes to her games, but she’s hasn’t been around lately. I thought maybe it would be nice to have other people there to support her other than just me.”

It’s official. I am a great big JONAS jerk.


	7. people change

Macy’s POV

I fast walked up the pathway to my house, with my hands clenched to my purse. I stopped before opening the door and took a deep breath and continued to wipe the tears that were still falling on my face. Praying that my eyes were not too red. I really didn’t want to have to explain to my mom why I’ve been crying. I took one more breath for confidence and walked inside.

“Mom! I’m home!” I called, happy to finally be home.

“Oh hey! How did it go sweetie?”

I sniffed, trying to not cry again.

“It was good. They said they liked my singing.” I replied, putting on a fake smile.

“Oh honey, I’m so happy for you!” She smiled, pulling me in for a hug. “I know they mean a lot to you, this band! I’m really proud of you!”

I could let my mom know that my favourite band broke my heart but then she would go all mama bear on them and then they’d really hate me for sure. Did they hate me, or do I just think they do? Plus, my mom has too much on her plate already. Mom stopping hugging me and placed her hands on both of my arms.

“Listen Macy, I know I haven’t been around much, since I’m needed at the shop more. But I’m so happy for you that you got to experience singing with your favourite band. It’s about time something fun and exciting happened to us!”

I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat, not trying to cry. My favourite band? Before this, I could hardly talk to them without fainting or accidentally hurting them with my sports equipment. I’m not even sure if they genuinely like me or just tolerated me because I’m friends with Stella. I just feel like I can never truly get ahead with them.

This was the only time I felt like I connected with them and well… it turns out that they are not who I thought they were. I finally now see them for what they really are: complete liars. They are not the perfect people I set them up to be.

Like everyone, they lie. Little white lies to protect their image. It makes me think… what else have they lied about? To who? To their fans… family? Stella? I nodded, offering my mom a small smile.

“Anyways, dinner is almost ready, okay?” Mom said, walking back towards the kitchen. “It’s your favourite! Chicken Parmesan.”

“Okay mom, thanks!” I replied, walking towards the staircase to go to my room. “If you need anything, I’ll be in my room!”

I felt this angry feeling starting to bubble up in my stomach, as I climbed each step. I ran to my bedroom and shut the door. I then walked over to my desk, opened my laptop and pulled opened one of the drafts I’ve been working for my website. I started this post since they moved to my school and been adding to it as I go.

The title was called: **The Lucas Brothers Best Qualities!** I started to read through it. Did anything I write still hold true?

I shook my head. Huh. Honest all right.

Yeah, all this still holds true, these are their best qualities. But I feel like there is more to add here. Because no one is perfect, I decided to add their WORST qualities. I went up to the title section and re-titled it: **The Best and WORST qualities of the Lucas Brothers aka J.O.N.A.S.** Then started writing more on the document.

By the looks of this, I was incredibly angry at them. I couldn’t believe this happened! The looks on their faces, when I found out what was REALLY going on, looked genuine to say the least, but how do I know they truly felt that way! They lied to me the whole time! To their #1 fan!

Kevin lied to me about my singing, easily. Joe lied and continues to lie about his feelings for Stella. And Nick, well let’s just say his whole personality is a lie. No one can be that cold all the time. I sighed and saved the draft. But the question was…. Should I post this?

I guess the Golden Lucas brothers are not really that golden anymore.


	8. want this to be real

Macy's POV

I woke up the next morning with an ache in my chest. Hoping what happened yesterday was just a dream. I honestly feel like they ripped my heart out. I guess it’s my fault really. I should have never got this attached to people I barely knew.

I climbed out of bed and walked over to my dresser and grabbed my hairbrush. I started to brush my wild bed head. I sighed. Good thing it’s the weekend, two full days to not see them. But before I could do anything else, my phone started to ring. I picked up my cell on my bedside table. The caller ID showed Stella. I took a deep breath before picking up. 

“Hello?” I croaked out.

**_"Hey Mace!” She replied, cheerfully. “How did it go… yesterday?”_ **

“Don’t play dumb, Stella.” I replied bitterly. “I’m sure they told you.”

**_"I know girl. Listen, I’m- “_**

“No listen Stella. I’m not mad at you, okay? I’m not even mad at them! I’m mad at myself.” I choked out.

**_"Macy- “_**

“I put them on this pedestal, and I set myself up for this.” I admitted, walking over to my closet to get some clothes and get ready for the day. 

I put my phone on speaker and started grab clothes out of my closet and hold the pieces of clothing up in the mirror. 

“I knew I wasn’t that good of a singer but… I honestly didn’t think I was that terrible.” I choked out, finally deciding on what to wear. 

**_"Girl I-"_**

I cleared my throat and continued. 

“And I know you never said anything to protect my feelings but I’m a big girl. I can handle the truth…. I honestly just hate being lied too, especially by the people I admire so much!” I exclaimed.

“Promise me… you’ll never lie to me again. Promise me Stella."

There was a small silence between us before Stella sighed and spoke up.

**_“I promise…hey, Macy. Why don’t we just have a girl’s day today? Just forget those stupid boys for a while! It’s been forever since we had a girl’s day!”_**

A small smile creeps across my face. She’s right. I quickly got dressed and grabbed my phone off my nightstand. 

“Okay. Why don’t we do a Grey’s Marathon on Netflix? My house?”

**_“Oh my god! Yes, please! I needed to see McDreamy, like yesterday!” Stella laughs._**

I laughed and walked out my bedroom and to the kitchen. I saw a note tapped onto the fridge.

**Will be out all day. Busy at the shop! Liam should be at Tyler’s house: hang out then a sleep over. There are leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry. Have a good day, honey. – Mom**

_**“And I want to show you some of my new ideas for the Stellavator!”**_

“Sure Stells. I’ll see you when you get here!”

_**“Okay! See you in 15! Love you!”**_

“Ditto.” I replied and hung up. 

After about 20 mins later, and some breakfast, I heard a knock at the door. I ran to the door and let Stella in. She came in with some shopping bags and huge smile on her face.

“Where’s your mom?”

“Out.”

“What are these?” I asked, confused, changing the subject.

“You’ll see. Let’s go try them on in your room!” She replied, grabbing my wrist and leading me upstairs. She dropped all the bags on my bed and started to shift through the bags.

“Ah, here we go!” She pulled out this really pretty dress.

“Wow! That’s like amazing!” I replied, feeling the fabric.

“It’s so you right? Oh, and I got some shoes to match!” She squealed happily.

“Stella… you didn’t buy all this for me, did you?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

“Well yes and no. I bought these a long time ago and they’ve just been sitting in my closest, never worn. I thought you might make use of these more than me. I have so many clothes.” She admitted, laughing.

I smiled brightly.

“Well as your designated best girlfriend, I can totally help you out.” I laughed.

She giggled and started to pull more clothes out of the bags.

“Go try these on!” She pushed, handing me the clothes. I nodded and walked out of bedroom, to the bathroom, to go change.

When I got back, I expected to see Stella all excited and walking around me in circles, critiquing my outfit but all I saw was her sitting on my bed with a frown.

“Stella, what’s wrong?” I asked, walking over to her and sat next to her.

“I wanted to search up some songs on YouTube, so we can host a fashion show in your room, and I stumbled upon this…”

She pointed to the draft that was saved on my website, still open in my browser.

“Did you… really write that?” She questioned sadly, handing my laptop back.

I swallowed hard and placed it on my desk.

“Yeah.” I admitted.

I started to rub my arm, looking down. I guess I was angry and that was the only outlet I had to express myself. To even tell Stella all my feelings would be hard… it would just upset her. She’d feel caught in the middle between me and the Lucas brothers.

Stella has known them since she was a baby and we only met in 6th grade when I moved schools. I couldn’t expect her to pick me over them. I sniffled.

“Macy. I understand why you wrote that. I understand that your mad as hell at them. So am I. But you could have talked to me about this. I don’t want you to ever feel like you can’t talk to me about your feelings.” She comforted.

I felt tears fall down my face. Stella walked over to me and hugged me. I cried into her shoulder. So much was happening in my life and I’m afraid to talk to someone about it. I don’t want to burden anymore with my problems.

“I’m sorry, Stella.” I sobbed.

“I’m the one who should be sorry, Macy.” She apologized.

After a few minutes, I pulled away from her embrace and wiped my face. I took a deep breath and looked over at my computer.

“I think I know the best way to make me feel better about all this…” I started. Stella just nodded and watched me sit at my computer and pull up my fangirl pages.

I opened my JONAS fan girl twitter account and wrote:

I clicked post and let out a deep sigh. I changed the username and pictures on my account, back as my own personal account. It felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. One by one, I changed or deactivated my accounts. All there was left for me to do was shut down my website.

I felt Stella’s hand fall onto my shoulder. She squeezed it, then said, “You can do this.”

With just an ounce of confidence, I clicked deactivate and it was gone. All my posts, photos, videos, fellow fans, everything. That chapter of my crazy fan girl life is done. I feel sort of, relieved. Maybe after this whole thing blows over, I can get to know the boys again.

For real this time.


	9. she's so gone

Macy's POV

The past weekend was a roller-coaster ride, that’s for sure. After deleting all my accounts, Stella and I binged Grey’s on Netflix, ordered in some take out and just had a girl’s days. It was great! She even helped me revamp my room. All the Jonas posters were taken off my wall and tucked away in my closet.

I told her I wanted to get to know them, the real them. I want to know them like she knows them. As normal teenage boys. She told me that she had no doubt they would love to get to know the real me too, as Macy, not just a fangirl or as Stella’s friend. That made me feel a bit better.

Everything that was left in my room, showed who I truly was in the inside. My sports awards, my academic awards that were hanging on my wall and photo frames of me and my family. And one of me and Stella when we were younger, of course. Nothing of Jonas. That chapter of my life as a crazy JONAS fangirl was now closed.

On Sunday, I helped my mom run her thrift shop. It’s been super busy with all the new material’s she’s brought in from other shops. She could tell something was different about me but couldn’t put her finger on it. All she knew was that I was happier than I’ve been in a long time. I think she still thinks its about me singing on the JONAS track, but I don’t have the heart to tell her she’s wrong.

I walked into school Monday with a newfound confidence that I haven’t felt in a long time. I guess only feel this way, when playing my favourite sports on the field.

I wasn’t worried about how I looked… before I cared if I looked presentable enough, just in case I happened to run into the boys. Now I walk with pip in my step, instead of cautiously walking like before, hoping I didn’t physically run into the boys and hurt them with any sports equipment I had that day. I felt brand new but back to the old me if that makes any sense. 

I walked over to my locker, holding my javelin. I was preparing myself for my next practice in gym class. Not even noticing his presence, Kevin came up from behind me and greeted me.

“Hii Macyyyy.”

I looked at him and then down to the ground at my shoes. Although I was over this fangirl phase, I was still nervous. I wondered what he’s going to say.

“I- um…. I want to apologize.” He started resting his right hand on the outside of my locker.

“I really didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’ve made it way worse and I’ve should have just been straight with you from the very beginning… I’m sorry I wasn’t.”

I listened to every word he said with wide eyes. Wow. Kevin Lucas is apologizing to me! I never thought in a million years this would happen. But this is a whole new life now, a whole new Macy.

With this new mindset that I have now, it looks like some things aren’t that impossible. And to be honest, he needed to apologize to me. He hurt me, him and his brothers!

“Wow. An actual Jonas feels terrible for me…” I said, shocked.

I then got this sudden feeling of guilt in my stomach.

“I feel bad that you feel terrible!” I confessed. 

“Okay, okay! Uh- um… why don’t we both just stop feeling bad for each other?”

I smiled. Sounds good to me. Kevin really is the sweet one.

“And we start in a new place… what about friends?”

Yes! I finally am getting somewhere! One Lucas brother down, two more to go. Hopefully now I can become friends with the rest of them. I would really like to get to know them on a deeper level. Even Frankie. And since we’re friends now, I guess I can only do this one last time.

I started to fangirl about being friends with Kevin, when I accidentally closed my locker door on his hand! OH MY GOD. Kevin screamed really loud. I guess old habits do die hard.

“I’m so SORRY!” I said quickly, feeling super terrible. I went to open my locker and put in the pass code.

Once it was open, Kevin was holding his fingers, hissing in pain, looking at the damage. 

“I’m so sorry!” I repeated.

Before Kevin could say anything, Stella approached us, with a confused expression on her face.

“Hey Macy! What’s going on? I thought you’d still be really upset?” Stella said, eyeing Kevin. I knew she was faking this conversation, just because Kevin was around us.

“Oh no! I feel better because Kevin actually apologized to me.”

I could hear him trying not to whimper.

“And Stella, none of this would have ever happened, if you just told me I wasn’t a good singer in the first place.” I scolded, placing my hands on my hips.

“But you’re so sensitive.” She admitted, grabbing my shoulder, squeezing it.

I could feel Kevin eyes staring at us.

“I could handle a little criticism. Remember that basketball game when I missed the shot at the buzzer, and we ended up losing by one point?”

“Oh yeah! Of course, I do. You were on the front page of every newspaper in the county!” She laughed, remembering.

I gave her an unimpressed look. She suddenly stopped smiling.

“The point is that now… I’m the leading score in the state! You don’t have to treat me like a little helpless bunny.”

Stella smirked, crossing her arms. Kevin chuckled.

“Alright. You got it sister.”

I smiled at her and stuck my arm out. She wrapped her arm around mine and we walked away, leaving Kevin to tend to his fingers.

“Later Kevin!”


	10. go team go

Nick's POV

“Okay, you guys ready to go?”

“Yup!”

“Where’s Nick?” Stella asked.

“He’s at his locker still. I don’t know what’s taking him so long.” Joe responded, pointing his thumb behind him, while throwing the strap of his bag over his shoulder.

“Nick! Come on! We don’t want to be late.” Stella called out, placing her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

Here I was, staring at the back of my locker, frozen. I couldn’t move. My stomach was in knots and a lump started to form in my throat. Why do I feel this way? It’s just Macy? Why was I so nervous to see her? I closed my locker door and took a deep sigh. It’s just a soccer game… don’t be so dramatic. You’ve played in front of thousands of fans and Macy Misa makes you nervous? It’s simply ridiculous. You're fine. IT’S FINE.

“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.” I stated, walking towards the group, my confidence returning. Joe gave me a funny look, I just ignored him, walking past him.

We arrived at the soccer field, pulling our car into an empty parking spot. I looked out the front window and saw the team running drills and warming up. I could see Macy, running and practicing the drills. Wow. She was a fast runner.

We got out of the car and walked towards some empty seats on the bleachers.

“MISA!”

I looked over and saw the coach of her team walking towards Macy, who was stretching, with a determined look on his face. Macy was listening intensely to what he was saying, nodding her head aggressively.

“These are good seats!” Kevin exclaimed, dropping his book bag.

“Yeah, and they got hotdogs!” Joe smiled, pointing towards the concession stand.

Stella laughed. I rolled my eyes. I looked back towards the team and saw Macy open her duffle bag and pulled out a water bottle, taking a sip.

“Macy! Hey! Over here!” Stella called, waving her arm to get her attention.

Macy looked towards the sound of her name being called and saw Stella. She smiled brightly and jogged her way to our seats.

“Hey Stella!” She greeted, happily. “You came! And you brought- “

Was she happy to see us?

“Yeah! They wanted to come see you play!” Stella laughed. “Where is your Mom?”

“She couldn’t stay….”

“Oh Macy- “

“Don’t worry about it, Stells. At least she was able to drop me off to the game this time.”

There was a small silence set between us, before Macy spoke up.

“Well, anyway, thanks you guys for coming! To be honest, I’m a little nervous, this is the first game of the season.” She admitted, tightening her ponytail.

“You’re going to be great, Macy.” Joe said. “There is no doubt, your team will win.”

“Yeah! You’re literally great at every sport known to man.” Kevin reminded. They looked over at me, waiting for me to say something to her.

“Uh- yeah. You’re a natural.” I admitted, feeling my face heat up. Damn it. 

“AND Everyone here at this game knows that you guys will win. It’s a known fact.” Stella scoffed.

Macy looked over at me and we locked eyes for a split second before she responded.

“Aw, thanks guys.” She replied with a small smile. “I should get back though. I’ll see you guys after the game!” She said, walking back towards her team, with a wave.

“Go get them Mace!” Stella called out to her, as she ran back to the field.

The whole game lasted for about an hour and a half, when suddenly the last whistle blew, showing that the game was over. Macy’s team won 3 to 1. I smiled, watching Macy and her fellow team-mates. They were jumping up and down in a group hug. I’ll admit, the game was extremely exciting. I guess I never noticed how rough girl’s soccer actually was! They were all competitive, especially Macy.

“Let’s go get some food! I’m starving!” Joe suggested, while jumping down from the bleachers.

“Okay, just let me go grab Macy!” Stella said. “We’ll meet you at the car!”

Kevin and Joe nodded, threw their backpacks on and started walking towards the exit of the soccer field. But I stayed, kicking the rocks on the ground. I really wanted to see Macy and I don’t know… congratulate Macy on a great win… yeah, that was the reason why I wanted to see her. Yeah.

I looked up from my shoes upon hearing my name being called.

“Nick hey!” Macy smiled, walking towards me, with a bag in her hand.

“Hey. Great game Macy.” I replied, with a genuine smile.

“Thanks! We totally kicked ass, right?” She laughed, nudging Stella with her elbow, making her laugh.

“Yeah, you did!” Stella agreed, wrapping her arm around her shoulders.

“Here.” I suddenly said, reaching my hand out. “I’ll take that for you.”

Stella’s eyebrows raised. I just ignored it. I was just trying to be nice; she must be tired after her game, after all.

“Thanks Nick.” She replied with a warm smile, handing me her bag.

“Well then, let’s go get some grub.” Stella stated, tugging Macy along. “Shall we?”

“Yes, we shall.” Macy laughed.

The girls started walking a head of me, giggling, towards Kevin’s car. I suddenly let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. Why was I so nervous around her?


	11. let's get to know each other, for real this time

Nick's POV

“Macy was incredible out there!”

“Yeah, it was almost like she wasn’t the same person.”

For the first time in an exceptionally long time, I can actually say that I agree with my brothers. Macy Misa was incredible out there on the field. I don’t think I ever seen her so concentrated and determined. She didn’t look like the Macy I knew at all.

The Macy I knew was clumsy, uncoordinated and frankly a hallway hazard – Stella’s choice of words, not mine. But this Macy was so different. I couldn’t help but feel curious about this new Macy. The cool, calm, confident Macy Misa. 

My brothers and I were home now, chilling in our room. Kevin was strumming on one of his favourite guitars, tweaking it after each note. Joe was sitting on his bed, tossing a hackie sac in the air and catching it. I was sitting at my desk, in the recording booth, scribbling down some lyrics I was working on last night.

“Remember the first time we met her?” Joe asked, throwing the ball up again, then catching it.

“Yeah! How could I forget?” Kevin laughed. “I don’t think I’ve saw a fan faint so many times in a row.”

“Or when she screamed so loud, even Stella couldn’t hear good for the whole day.” Joe chuckled, sitting up on his bed.

Meeting Macy Misa for the first time was well, interesting to say the least. Growing up, my brothers and I were home schooled. My mother was a stay-at-home mom, while my dad worked at this media company, that stared off with films but worked itself into music. He usually worked with films and music artists.

Guess now you can see why my dad ended up becoming our manager. He knew everything there was to become successful musicians, with our sound and image. Now he does that full time, while my mom keeps busy with her hobbies.

We didn’t decide to go to school until we were old enough to decide what high school we wanted to attend. We all thought it would be a good change for us. So, of course we went to the same school as Stella. She told us all about this private school, Horace Mantis Academy. 

It had a great campus, uniforms were mandatory, which I didn’t mind at all. Not having to figure out what to wear to school everyday, made life so much easier. I was so use to it anyway with Stella always picking out my outfits. Plus, I realized that I wouldn’t have fans rip my clothes but just my uniform. Kevin, Joe and I enrolled right away, and started high school like any normal teenager.

But the difference was, we weren’t normal at all, well to everyone who only knew us as JONAS. It took at least half the year for fans to calm down and get use to us as their fellow classmates. Stella helped a lot with that too. She’d scare any girl that got to close for comfort. But the only girl Stella didn’t do that to, was Macy.

**_“Hey guys!”_ **

**_“Hey Stella.” Joe replied, leaning up against his locker._ **

**_I looked over at Stella, then back into my locker, looking for my math textbook._ **

**_“I said I needed 2 ducks for this weekend! Yes two!”_ **

**_“Who is Kevin talking to?”_ **

**_“We’ll never know…” Joe responded, watching Kevin pace back and forth, on his phone._ **

**_I chuckled, closing my locker._ **

**_“Oh, there she is!”_ **

**_My brother and I turned our heads to where Stella was pointing. She was pointing at a petite brunette who was holding some textbooks, coming down the stairs._ **

**_“Macy! Come here! I want to introduce you!” Stella called out, while walking up to her._ **

**_The girl froze mid-walk, and her eyes went wide._ **

She introduced us the first day of school, telling us that this was her best friend. Macy didn’t really say much to us at first, she just smiled a lot and fainted. It was well, normal for us.

**_“Joe, Nick, this is Macy. My best friend.”_ **

**_“Best friend? I thought I was your best friend?!”_ **

**_“You are my best GUY friend Joe, duh. And don’t be rude!”_ **

**_Joe snorted._ **

**_“Hey, I’m Nick.” I held out my hand to her, ignoring my brother’s stupidity._ **

**_“H-hello.” She replied, shaking my hand nervously._ **

**_“And I’m the best guy friend, Joseph. But you can call me Joe.” Joe smirked._ **

**_She nodded and smiled slightly. I could tell she was nervous._ **

**_“And that’s Kevin!” Stella added, pointing over towards Kevin who was still babbling on his phone, to god knows who._ **

**_“Wow.” She breathed out. “I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you. I’m a huge fan. LIKE HUGE.”_ **

**_“Aw, that’s awesome, thanks!” Joe smiled at her and she sighed in response._ **

**_“Yeah! Macy runs a blog about you guys and even has her own fan club!”_ **

**_“Stella!” Macy squeaked out._ **

**_But before we could say anything else to her, like ask her what her favorite song was, she fainted._ **

**_“Macy!”_ **

**_“Oh my god!”_ **

**_“Joe don’t just stand there! Go get the school nurse! Quick!”_ **

But when her fangirl moments turned into painful ones. We really didn’t know how to feel about her.We liked her, but we kept our distance.

**_“Oh sorry!”_ **

**_“Oh my god, I’m sorry!”_ **

**_“Sorry, so sorry!”_ **

**_“Here she comes, duck and cover boys!”_ **

And it’s been like that since the beginning, but over time, Macy worked up the courage to talk to us and try to act normal, but she did lose her cool every now and then. It was somewhat… I don’t know. Endearing. She just tried really hard to be normal around us.

**_Mmm lunch time! I was at my locker, throwing my books away and grabbing my packed lunch, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around and was face to face with Macy. I froze up but quickly noticed right away she had no equipment on her. Thank god._ **

**_“Hey Nick of – uh- “_ **

**_I raised my eyebrow at her. How many times must we tell her? It’s just Nick or Joe or Kevin. That’s it!_ **

**_She cleared her throat and tried again. I smiled lightly._ **

**_“Hey Nick.” She finally let out._ **

**_I chuckled._ **

**_“Macy. What’s up?”_ **

**_“Would it be okay if I borrowed your notes from third period later? I have a soccer meeting today during lunch and it will cut into third period. I’ll be missing some of class.”_ **

**_“Yeah, sure. No problem.”_ **

**_It honestly wasn’t, she’d do the same for me._ **

**_“Oh gosh! Thanks!”_ **

**_I tensed up, sensing a fan girl moment from her…. But I was wrong._ **

**_“I just don’t want to fall behind with exams starting soon, ya know?”_ **

**_Yikes, exams. Forgot about those._ **

**_“I got you. Just meet me at my locker after third period and I’ll give them to you.”_ **

**_Macy smiled warmly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear._ **

**_“Cool thanks! I really owe you one. Bye!”_ **

**_She then turned to leave, probably to her meeting._ **

**_I watched she as she walked away, feeling a little dumbfounded._ **

Looking back, for once, talking to her like that felt… normal and it felt kind of nice. But then we had to go and mess it all up, during the whole “signing on our track” fiasco.

I guess what I’m trying to say is…. We were just getting somewhere with Macy. Now, we hardly talk to her. When I just started to see her for who she really was… as Macy. Not just Macy - the fangirl. But I had to just go and ruin it. I still want to get know the REAL Macy, be her friend, and when I do... I will do it right this time. 


	12. being with you is like a walk in the park.... almost

Nick's POV

This is it. I’ve decided, today is going to be the day. I’m finally going to ask Macy to hang with me after school today.

Ever since watching her play her first soccer game of the season, I’ve been coming to all of her games during her tournament. Sometimes Joe and Kevin come too, other times, it’s just me and Stella that come to watch her play. I just enjoy seeing her dominate the field.

Plus, it’s also nice to hang with Stella, just the two of us. Sometimes she uses the time we spend together to complain about Joe and how he annoys her to no end… but we both know the truth. I honestly don’t know what to tell her about my brother and his feelings. I have my own feelings to sort out.

We’ve been seeing a lot more of Macy lately. I guess the reason she wasn’t around often was because she was training a lot for her tournament. A lot of after school and during school practices, which is why we never saw her, even during lunch.

When Macy hangs with us, she’s a lot more chill than how she was before. She doesn’t stutter or stare at us. She even cracks jokes, which are funny as hell. She’ll banter with Joe and even has some good comebacks. We all see now, why Stella and Macy are best friends.

But I’ve been wondering… how did they actually meet? When? I want to get to know these things…truly get to know Macy. Which is why I’m finally going to do it. I’ve chickened out many times... mostly because I’m scared my brothers are going to tease me. But… who cares what they think. I’m going to do it.

The bell finally rang, and our lunch period started. I walked out of my second-period class and towards my locker. What I saw didn’t surprise me, both my brothers were standing at our lockers, talking about god knows what.

“Hey, Nick! Did you hear what happened today?” Joe asked, moving out of the way of my locker.

“No?” I sneered, pulling out my packed lunch.

“Macy and Felicia got into a fight today, during second period,” Joe said, crossing his arms against his chest.

“What?” I asked, shocked.

“Well, it wasn’t physical. Although Macy would have probably won if that was the case.” Kevin laughed.

“What did they fight about?” I asked, closing my locker door.

“They were making fun of her I guess; Stella didn’t tell me about what though. All I know is that Macy wasn’t too happy.” Joe replied, walking with us towards the cafeteria.

Wow, Macy really has changed. She’s never fought with anyone before. Unless you count the school’s wrestling team. Sitting at our usual table, my brothers and I talked about our upcoming album. We’re so close to being done. But we were so invested into our conversation, we didn’t even notice Stella coming over to sit with us…. with no Macy.

“Hey guys.” Stella mumbled.

Since when did she mumble?

“What’s wrong, Stells?” Joe asked, concerned.

“Oh, not much, guys. It’s just my best friend has detention. It’s utterly ridiculous.” Stella pouted, opening her bag of carrots.

“Macy has detention?” Kevin asked, confused.

“Yes! And it wasn’t even her fault. Felicia started the whole thing anyway.” She huffed, crossing her arms.

“What was the fight about anyway?” I asked, really curious now.

“It was… well…it was-” Stella stuttered. “Ugh, I can’t tell you guys! Okay! It will ruin her!”

My brothers and I just sat there, stunned.

I’m so confused, what is so wrong that she can’t tell us what’s going on? She is our friend too. We should know if she’s okay.

“I have to go,” Stella stated, packing up her lunch. “I promised to pick up Macy’s homework for her.”

“Stella! Wait!”

After lunch, my brothers and I lingered at our lockers, getting our things ready for next period.

“I’ve never seen Stella like this, guys.” Joe worried, closing his locker.

“I’m sure she has a good reason to not confide in us, Joe,” I stated, slinging my bag on my shoulder.

But Joe's right. Wow, words I never thought I would say.

“Yeah, but she always tells me everything,” Joe grumbled with concern.

“But this is about Macy though. It might not be her story to tell.” Kevin suggested, shoving papers into his textbook.

For once, Kevin’s right. Wow, two brothers right in one day. Something really is off about today. Especially with Macy. It’s not like her to fight with a fellow student. Well, if Stella can’t tell us what happened, we’ll just have to go straight to the source. Macy.

I decided that after last period, I was going to try and coax some information about Macy out of Stella. My plan was to confront Macy after her detention, maybe offer to walk her home? I really want to know what happened today. 

“Hey, Stella."

“Hey, Nick.” She replied with a frown, closing her locker.

I hate seeing Stella sad. This sucks.

“What class is Macy’s dentition being held at?” I asked, readjusting my bag on my shoulder.

“Why do you want to know?” She asked her spirit perking up.

“I wanted to… uh- offer to walk her home.” I admitted, sheepishly.

Stella smiled. The first of the day, it seems.

“That’s so sweet of you, Nick. I’m sure she’d like that a lot. It'll be nice to have someone to distract her while she walks home. She tends to get lost in her own thoughts.” She smiled. “It’s in room 207, Mrs. Flintlock's classroom.”

“Thanks,” I replied coolly, although in the inside, I was a nervous wreck. I started making my way to the staircase before Stella spoke up.

“Nick! Detention is done at 4! Are you just going to sit there and wait for her?” She called, stopping me mid-walk.

“I’ll find something to do.” I smiled at her, starting to climb the stairs.

As I sat outside the classroom, I pulled out the notepad that I write all my lyrics in. I pulled out a pencil from my pencil case and started to scribble down some questions I would like to ask her.

It’s always a good idea to be prepared.

_\- Why did she have a fight?_

_\- What was said?_

_\- How did the whole thing make her feel?_

_\- What’s going to happen after?_

I know it sounds like a therapy session, but I actually care about how she feels. That’s something I can easily admit too. I messed up once about not caring about her feelings, I’m not making the same mistake twice. After writing down some lyrics for our newest songs, the door to the classroom finally opened. About 8 people walked out before Macy walked out, not even noticing me sitting here.

“Macy!”

She was looking at the ground when I snapped her out of her thoughts. She squeezed the strap of her book bag.

“Nick? What are you doing here?”

I got up off the floor and wiped at my pants before facing her.

“Well, at the moment, I honestly have nothing better to do... I figured I could walk you home. Stella was pretty worried about you today.” I explained, grabbing my bag off the floor.

“Oh.” Was all she said.

I sent her a small smile, hoping it would cut some of the tension. Did she not want to see me?

“That’s- very nice of you. Thanks, Nick.” She smiled back.

Phew.

“Not a problem. What are friends for?” I chuckled. Yeah, friends.

I made my way to stand beside her and quickly, we matched pace and started walking down the hallway to leave.

“So, how was the last game of the tournament?”

“Oh! That’s right! You weren’t there that game.” She chuckled. “We won, obviously.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I would have loved to go, but I had a meeting with our record producer.” I smirked, looking down at the ground.

“Just you?” She asked. “Why not the whole band?”

“Well, he wanted to talk about some of the lyrics for our newest album that will be coming out soon. I am the one who writes the lyrics, you know?” I reminded, nudging her shoulder.

“I guess I should have known that. Being your #1 fan and all.” She lightly smiled. “I guess I just figured you all worked together on the songs.”

“Oh, we do, but do you really think my brothers can write lyrics as good as me?” I teased.

“Hey, they are smarter than you think, Lucas.” She teased back, wiggling a disapproving finger at me.

Calling me by last name? That’s new.

It felt nice walking with Macy and just having a normal conversation. The weather was perfect for a walk. There is a slight breeze, it's sunny. Walking home with her felt so natural. It felt like something we should have been doing before. I was nervous as hell, but also really calm. Kind of like how I feel when I perform on stage.

“Speaking of #1 fan..." I air quoted. “I noticed, your site…it’s…” I finished weakly.

“Yeah. I got rid of it.” She admitted, shyly, looking back at the ground as she walked.

“Why?” I asked, curiously. I never did find out.

“Well, to be honest. It was getting too much to handle. The stress of running a fan club. Do you know how many fans you have? How crazy they are?” She laughed, pushing hair behind her ear.

I lightly blushed.

“Yeah, you don’t need to remind me,” I replied, scratching the back of my head.

“I mean, I’m not one to talk...” She laughed again.

I chuckled.

“But yeah, it was just getting too much for me. I have a lot going on right now and feel like I have more important things to spend my time on.” She murmured.

Hmm, it makes sense. I nodded, making sure she knew I understood.

“Sorry.” She added, quickly.

“No, no. Don’t apologize. Well maybe to Joe. He was pretty devastated, to be honest. He thought you - I don’t know - hated us?” I explained.

“What? No! I don’t hate you guys. Why would you even think that?” She replied, quickly, turning to face me.

We stopped walking. I looked away for a moment, not being able to look her in the eye.

“Well, about what we did to you, Macy. It wasn’t cool what we did.” I said, looking down at the ground.

“You’re right.”

I suddenly looked up at her, shocked. I did not expect her to say that. 

“It wasn’t cool what you guys did, Nick.”

I frowned, looking down at my shoes. She sighed.

“But I had to remind myself, we all make mistakes. No one is perfect.” She said, sweetly, placing her hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her and shuddered at the contact.

“I honestly forgave you guys the moment it happened, I was just hurt, that’s all.” She admitted, taking her hand off my shoulder. “Getting lied to by the people you admire so much, it feels like utter crap.”

Where have I heard those words before? I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. Wow. We really ARE jerks.

“I’m sorry, Macy. Truly. We never should have played with you like that. Our intentions were good, honest.” I said, looking into her eyes.

“I know. That’s why I forgive you. Well… forgave you. It’s over with now.” She said, suddenly turning back towards the street. “Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

“Okay,” I replied, meekly.

A small comfortable silence fell upon us, as we continued to walk. We suddenly made it to her street. So many thoughts ran through my head, while we walked in silence.

“Well, this is my house.” She sighed, contently. 

“It’s a nice house.” I complimented.

It was so… Macy-like. There were flowers planted in the flower beds, a nice solid wooden door, classic red brick, a beautiful tree planted in the front of the house and a strong white picket fence around the property. Growing up, this is the home I pictured living in if we didn't live at the firehouse. But Dad got a great deal for the firehouse, so we fixed it up and made it our home. Dad said there was a lot of space for all of our equipment and instruments and, to be honest, the fire poles are pretty sick. But a home like this feels...I don't know... feels like home to me. 

“Yeah, we try.” She smiled. “Mom likes planting flowers. She thinks she's an expert gardener on top of everything else she does." She laughed.

I smiled. She reminds me of my mom with all her hobbies.

"Anyway, thank you for walking me home, Nick.” She said, changing the subject. 

“No problem, Macy.”

As she turned to leave to walk up to her house, a panicked feeling rose up in me.

“Wait, Macy!”

She turned around quickly, looking straight at me. Her lips curled up into a small smile. I blushed deeply.

“I-uh- was just wondering… would you want to maybe… hang out tomorrow?” I faltered. “After school?”

“Sure, Nick. I’d love too.” She laughed. “What do you want to do?”

I let out a little sigh of relief. Hmm, I never thought this far. I swallowed deeply.

“Why don’t we meet at Richardson Park? They have a nice basketball court we can play at.” I suggested, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Okay! Let’s meet there after school. Bye Nick!” She smiled brightly, then turned to walk up to her house. 

I stood there a bit awestruck, just watching her. Why am I feeling like this?

“B-bye Macy.”

Well, this walked didn’t go as I planned, I didn't get to talk to her about what happened today, but I’m not mad about it. I could always bring it up some other time. I’m glad I got to finally apologize to her about everything. Maybe now, from here on out, we can just focus on becoming what we should have been in the first place...friends. 


	13. game on

Nick's POV

“Yes! Finally! Friday night, let's go!”

I shook my head, coming down the stairs from our room. As I was coming down, I saw Joe sitting on the sofa with his feet up and holding what looked like a cup of orange soda. Joe turned his head towards me and placed his cup down onto the coffee table in front of him.

“Where are you going, Nick?”

Typical nosy Joe, right on time. I walked into the living room, threw my gym bag on the floor and placed a water bottle into it.

“Out.” I replied, dryly.

I was too focused on not forgetting anything. Change of clothes, shower supplies, water bottle, phone?

“But we just got home from school?” Joe pointed out, suspiciously. “And you changed your clothes.”

Thanks captain obvious.

“Yeah, so?” I quirked an eyebrow at him. I then put on my bag and went for my shoes in the closet.

“Okay? … but don’t we have band practice today?” Kevin inquired, placing his school bag down on the couch.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be out all night. We can practice when I get back.” I stated, lacing up my running shoes.

“Are you going to the gym or something?” Kevin asked, finally.

“Well, I’m actually-”

“If you're canceling practice to go there, can I come too?” Joe asked, excitedly. “I don’t want to be home alone with Kevin!”

“Hey!”

“No!” I answered quickly. Joe stood there, stunned. “No, Joe.” I repeated.

Joe started to frown. Kevin quirked an eyebrow at me.

I don’t really know what he’s thinking but at this point, I don’t care. I need to go. I’m not going to let my brothers mess this up for me. I just started getting somewhere with Macy. I checked if my phone was in my pocket, it was.

“Sorry, but I’m not going to the gym. I’m just meeting with a friend. I have to go.”

“But-”

“Let him go, Joe.” Kevin said, putting a hand in front of Joe, stopping him from walking any further. He smiled widely, while Joe just looked confused.

“But what friend? Nick doesn't have friends!”

I ignored him and made my way to the front door.

“If Mom asks, just tell her I’m at the park. I’ll have my phone on me!” I said, jogging out of the fire house. “Bye guys!”

Not even waiting for an answer, I left, shutting the door behind me and made my way onto the street.

“Hey Kev…think you can help me with my algebra homework?”

I finally arrived at the park, after jogging all the way. I didn’t even break a sweat.

I smiled and then sat on one of the park benches, casually sipping my water bottle. I checked my watch, 3:25pm. Hmm. School is out at 3pm. Maybe Macy’s running late? To be honest, we didn’t even discuss a time to meet. That was pretty stupid of me. Oh well.

I shrugged my shoulders, closing the lid on my water bottle. She’ll get here when she does, I guess. I’m glad that I still find the time to keep in shape. Well, we have too anyway. Dad makes us eat a proper diet and even managed to get all of us gym memberships. He wants us to stay fit. My brothers and I sometimes do flips and tricks during our performances. Don’t ask why… but it keeps it fun and lively for us, and the coward really enjoys it.

Now that I think about it, I use to play a lot of sports with my brothers, but ever since we started the band, we didn’t play much anymore, unless it was during gym class. I got lost into my thoughts, until I heard my name being called. I looked over to where the sound came from and was face to face with Macy. Wow. She looked, different. I’m so used to seeing Macy in just our school uniform, or her soccer jersey and shorts. But Macy was wearing black sports tights and a cropped Nike shirt and some nice-looking running shoes, with her hair in a ponytail. She looked, well…different.

“Hey Nick. Sorry I’m late. I got caught up with my brother.” She sighed, placing her gym bag on the bench beside me. “Hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

“It’s-It’s okay.” I stuttered. I know the feeling, really.

I suddenly noticed that I was staring too long at her. I felt my face heat up. If Macy noticed, she didn’t act like she did, which I’m grateful for. Get a grip, Lucas.

“We really didn’t set a time, so no harm done.” I added.

She chuckled.

“Yeah, we didn’t, did we?” She laughed, covering her mouth, shyly.

I smiled.

“Anyway, are you ready to play?” She asked, pointing towards the empty basketball court with a competitive smirk.

“Hell yeah. Let’s do this.” I smiled, hopping off the park bench.

She laughed and started to walk with me towards the basketball court. She walked into the court and grabbed a basketball that was left at the park. She placed it into the middle of the court and took a step back and then started to stretch. I was so mesmerized watching her move, I didn’t realize how long I was staring, again.

“You should maybe stretch, Lucas.”

I suddenly snapped out of my trance. I laughed nervously and quickly started to stretch. After a few minutes stretching, we walked up to the middle of the court.

“First one to 15 or 21?” I asked, wiping my hand on my shorts.

“21. Duh.” She replied, rolling her eyes while grabbing the ball. I chuckled.

“I really hope you don’t go easy on me, just because I am a girl.” She warned, dribbling the ball in front of her a few times.

“Why would I do that? You are on every sports team in school.” I pointed out, bending into stance.

“AND have the leading score in the state, mister!” She said, passing the ball quickly to me. I caught it with ease.

"Which you never seem to let anyone forget." I teased. 

She smirked as I passed the ball back to her and then we started the play. I wasn’t sure who was going to win, to be honest. I am pretty competitive. Just as much as her. But what I did know, was that this was going to be a lot of fun.

Much more fun than band practice. 


	14. soups on

Nick's POV

"That was a great game, Nick."

"Yeah, it was. But I can't believe I lost."

We both laughed, before taking a sip out of our water bottles.

"You almost had me there but... You did good." She teased, tapping my shoulder.

I sent her my classic annoyed face. She laughed, covering her mouth. I smiled. But before I could say anything else, my phone started to ring in my bag.

"Hello?" I said into my phone.

Macy walked a bit away from the bench to give me some privacy.

_**"Nick! Mom wants to know what you want for dinner?”**_

“Uh- I’m not sure. Honestly, I’m not even thinking about food right now.” I admitted, wiping my brow.

_**“Where are you?”**_

“Seriously, Joe?” I sighed, looking over at Macy.

 _**“Well, can you at least tell me who you’re with? It’s been killing me, trying to figure it out!”**_ Joe questioned.

“Joe.” I warned.

 _**“Alright, fine. Don’t tell me.”**_ He pouted over the phone.

“Listen, tell mom not to worry about me for dinner. I’ll just pick something up for myself, okay?” I said, remembering that I put my wallet in my gym bag.

 _**“Okayyy. Bye!”**_ Joe replied. **_“Come home soon, bro.”_**

I hung up the phone, shaking my head a little. He was such a child sometimes. I placed my phone into one of my short pockets, when Macy walked back towards the park bench.

“Everything alright?” She asked.

I smiled. She’s always so thoughtful.

“Yeah, it was just Joe, annoying me. Nothing new.” I explained, putting my phone back in my bag.

“Oh.” She chuckled. “About what?”

“Just about dinner. I guess my mom was wondering where I was and everything.”

“Dinner?” She said out loud, more to herself. She hummed, then checked her watch on her wrist.

“Yeah.” I laughed. What was she thinking?

“I got an idea.” She said, grabbing her bag off the park bench. “Why don’t we hit the showers and then have dinner at my place? My mom makes a mean spaghetti.”

I looked at her, shocked.

“Uh- um...” I stuttered. I did not think this was going to happen today.

She just looked at me, waiting for an answer. Was she… blushing?

“Or... if you don’t want too. It’s-” She spoke up.

“No! That’s fine.” I interrupted quickly. “Sounds good to me.”

“Okay, cool. Let’s go then.” She smiled lightly, making her way to the change rooms.

My heart was pounding fast. Why was I so nervous? I’m just going to a friend’s house. Okay. A really cool friend, who beat me in my favourite sport and happens to also be extremely attractive. Ugh. No. I can’t think that way about her. We are hardly friends. I don’t know, it’s all so confusing. But one thing I know for sure, is that Macy makes me feel some type of way, and it scares me. 

After freshening up from our basketball game, we started to make our way to Macy’s house. She literally lived so close to the park. Once we started our walk, we began to talk about sports and our favourite teams. I’m honestly not shocked that Macy and I like the same baseball team. It felt nice walking with her again. But I remembered how last time, I never got to ask her about her fight with Felicia.

“Hey Macy?” I asked, looking ahead of me.

“Yeah?” She replied, turning her head to look at me.

“I’m just curious… what happened with you and Felicia?” I murmured.

“Oh.”

Her tone of voice sounded sad.

“Sorry. You don’t need to talk about it. I was simply curious, that’s all.” I admitted, dismissing it away.

“No, it’s okay Nick.” She smiled sadly. “Felicia’s dad and my dad work together. She just started saying some nasty things about him.”

“Oh. I see.” I responded, nodding my head.

But what exactly did she say to upset you?

“If it’s alright, maybe we can talk about it after dinner? We’re almost at my house and I don’t want to upset my mom.” She suggested.

“No, I get it. Sure. Hey and Macy…” I said, suddenly stopping her. I placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Only if you want to talk about it. You really don’t need to tell me anything.” I reassured. 

“I know, Nick.” She smiled. “I want to.”

We finally made it to her street, and I came face to face with her house again. That warm feeling of “home” settled into my stomach, which I didn't mind at all. We started to walk up the walkway, but once we reached the front door, she turned to me.

“Wait here one second, alright? I’m just going to go warn my mom that you’re here.” She chuckled.

I nodded with a smirk.

She ran into the house, leaving the door partially opened. After a few minutes of waiting outside, she came back to the door, sounding out of breath. Did she run back here?

“Come on in, Nick.” She smiled, opening it wider. “Sorry for making you wait.”

“Thanks.”

This is going to be interesting.

Once we came into the house, Macy and I picked back up our conversation from earlier and started talking about our favourite sports team again, when her Mom walked up to us. 

“Hello there. Welcome to our home!"

"Thank you for having me."

"So, Macy… aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Sorry, mom. This is Nick Lucas. He goes to my school.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Misa.” I said with a smile. She smiled widely back at me. She reminds me so much of Macy, just older.

“You as well, Nick. Come, come on in... Mi casa es su casa.” She laughed, walking towards the kitchen. "Dinner should be ready in like 5 minutes." 

“You can leave your bag here, Nick.” Macy suggested, pointing to her couch.

“Thanks.”

Before she could say anything, a young boy ran down the stairs, calling for his mom.

“Mom!” He whined. “I can’t find my-”

But once he got down to the final steps, he froze, staring at Macy and me. I smiled nervously. This must be her brother. He's been staring for a while at me. Maybe I should say something?

“Hello.” I said, nicely.

“Uh Nick- This is Liam. My younger brother.” Macy introduced.

“YOU’RE NICK?” He exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. “THE NICK?”

“Oh my god, Liam! Don’t be rude!” Macy scolded. “I’m so sorry!”

I chuckled. Brothers are embarrassing, I know the feeling.

“Don’t worry about it. And to answer your questions, yes? My name is Nick. So, I guess I am Nick... the Nick?” I said confused, scratching the back of my head.

“You-you...” Liam stuttered, opening his mouth to talk but closed it, not finding the words.

Macy stood there all tensed up... she looked a little shocked. What is she so embarrassed about? It’s just me? Maybe he might be a fan of the band? Why is she... blushing? She shouldn't be embarrassed. But before Liam could say anything else, Macy’s Mom walked into the living room.

“Dinner is ready guys! Oh, Liam?”

I just watched their interaction play out, I really didn’t know what to think or say. I turned towards Macy and gave her a nervous smile. 

“Liam, why don't you go wash up for dinner? We can look for whatever you’re looking for after.” She suggested, pushing him back up the stairs.

“I’m sorry about that Nick. My brother is so embarrassing.” She apologized, placing a hand to cover her face. So, she is embarrassed. 

“Don’t worry about it, Macy. I get it, trust me.” I laughed. She smiled shyly.

“Why don’t I show you where the bathroom is, so you can wash up?” She said, walking away.

I nodded and started to follow her, and as we made our way there, I couldn’t help getting lost into my thoughts. When we finally got there, I thanked her and shut the door behind me. I then let out a breath, I didn’t realize I was holding in. That was… strange and some how very nerve wrecking. Why was her brother so starstruck when he saw me? I’m sure Macy has talked about our band to him, with her being our #1 fan and all. But our fans are mostly girls? Not boys his age.

Unless… he knows about what happened with the “singing on our track” incident. I gulped. I know I barely know the kid, but I hate to have him be mad at me or even worse, hate me for hurting his sister. What about her Mom? Does she know? It’s hard to tell, to be honest. She seemed so nice. I sighed worriedly. Let’s hope the rest of the day goes a bit smoother. After finally using the washroom, I washed up for dinner. But before I left, I splashed water onto my face. It’s burning so hot right now.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Mom, can you pass the juice, please?"

"Sure, honey." 

So far, the dinner was going quite well. Macy and her mom were talking about work, the thrift store that her mom owns and runs. I guess they got approved to renovate the store, giving it a fresh new look. We talked about Macy and her abundance of sports teams and tournaments. Macy even talked about her friends on the teams she's on, how so many of them are improving since they first started. Her brother didn't talk much but the only time he talked, he asked to be handed something. He's pretty quiet for a kid. 

"So, Nick, are you enjoying your stay?" Macy's mom asked, placing her cup down onto the table. 

"Yes. Thank you so much for dinner. It's really delicious." I answered, earnestly. 

She smiled at me. "You're very welcome." 

I smiled and went to take another bite of my food, but before I could, Macy's mom spoke up. 

"So, let's talk about the track Macy sang on."

I dropped my fork suddenly, making a loud clink on my plate. I looked over at Macy, who was slightly choking on her drink, coughing.

"Oh honey, you okay?" Her Mom worried, patting her back. I was sitting there, shocked. 

After a few breaths, Macy nodded. 

"I'm okay, mom." She reassured. She coughed once more before speaking up.

"I-um don't think we should talk about the track I sang on, Mom." She stated, plainly. 

"Why? Didn't you have a good time recording? I'd like to thank him." She turned her head towards me.

"You know, it's not ever day we get to do something that cool. To be honest, we haven't had a lot of good happen in our lives. Macy was thrilled when she told me she was going to sing with her favourite band." 

I sat there, stunned, not knowing what to say. 

"Mom!" Macy slightly snapped. Her mom looked at her with a furrowed brow. "We're not really suppose to talk about it, right Nick? Because it hasn't been released yet?" 

Macy shot me a look. So... she didn't tell her Mom. I knew exactly where she was going with this. I cleared my throat and spoke up. 

"Yeah, unfortunately. It's under contract." I said, as confidently as I could. "But I assure you, Macy was amazing."

"But you can't even tell me? Her mother? Who am I going to tell?" She questioned, suspiciously.

"Mom, stop." Macy pleaded. "It's not a big deal, really." 

"Okay, well... as long as Macy had a great time. Then... I'm happy." She smiled, taking another bite off her plate. "Thank you, Nick."

"You're welcome, Ms. Misa." I smiled back, as best as I could. I was currently dying inside. I can't believe what just happened. 

Macy's Mom went back and focused on eating the rest of her meal, so I quickly glanced at Macy. She locked eyes with me for a split second before sinking back into her seat. She grabbed her fork and then started staring down into her plate, her face was emotionless. As for her brother, he was stuffing his face this whole time, not even paying attention to what just transpired. 

God, I am so going to hell for this. 


	15. real talk

Nick's POV

“Ugh mom! How come Macy doesn’t need to help clean up?”

“Because she has a guest over, plus you haven’t done any of your chores this week, mister! Don’t think I haven’t noticed!”

I laughed. Sounds like me and my brothers at home. I’m usually the one who get’s their chores and their homework done… which is why mom trusts me to be out by myself. I guess you can say I’m the most responsible one. It’s not the same for Joe and Kevin, and they’re older than me!

“Hey Nick, why don’t we go sit in my backyard?” Macy suggested, pointing towards the back door of her house.

“Sure.”

We walked outside to her back yard and I was blown away at what I saw. Flowers, everywhere. Guess her mom was an expert gardener. There was a nice big tree in her backyard, that had a tire swing on it. I smiled. Aw. I can picture little Macy on that swing.

We walked further into the yard and I spotted a swinging bench to sit on. I followed Macy’s lead and sat down, next to her. She smiled at me, then turned her head to look at the sky ahead of her. Where we were sitting, we could see the sun set perfectly. It honestly feels like it was written for a movie. The warm breeze, the setting sun. All of it.

“So, Macy…” I started, looking down at my feet.

“She called my dad a home-wrecker.”

I snapped my head towards her, shocked.

“He - he left us. When I was young, about 10 years old. I guess he decided that it was easier for him to make a new family, a new life, then fix the broken one he already had.”

Wow.

“She blames my dad for her parent’s divorce. My dad and her dad are good friends, he’s around all the time to help with work, they play golf together…”

“I guess her mom said she was ending it because there is someone else, and apparently that someone else is my Dad. I don’t know if any of this is actually true. I don’t talk to my dad. I haven’t since he left us.”

She sighed.

“So, I got upset, and pretty much called her out in front of the whole class. Mr. Lee was _not_ happy.”

“What- did you say?”

“I pretty much said that, if she should be mad at anyone, it should be at her mom for being a - well… you know…”

“Oh wow!” I said, shocked.

“You must think I’m terrible.” She whined, covering her face with her hands.

“No, no. Macy. I don’t think that at all.” I reassured. I then grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands from her face. Her eyes were a bit teary.

“Seriously. Thanks for telling me. I had no idea you went through all this.” I said, solemnly.

“How would you? We never really talked.”

True. I nodded. 

“Well, let’s start talking. Tell me everything about you.” I coaxed, turning my body to face her.

"Nick, please. We don't need to talk about my sob story." She dismissed, waving her hand. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Macy, that's great that you're fine, but I'd still like to know. Think of it as giving back... You know everything about my life?" I teased. 

She chuckled. 

"Touché. Alright, where do I start?" She said, puzzled.

"How about... the beginning?"

She smacked my arm, with a half smile.

"Ow!" I fake cried.

"Alright, smart ass. Fine, you win. Just promise, you won't treat me differently after this... "

"I promise." 

She turned towards me and took a deep breath. 

"My dad left us, my parent's split and divorced when I was about 10 years old. My brother was 2. He doesn't really remember anything, but I do. I remember moving out of my childhood home, my things being thrown out, my mother trying to find us a place to live on just one income. Money was tight and life was a struggle. I moved schools, which is the school I met Stella at."

I just sat there, soaking up everything she was telling me. So that's how Stella met Macy!

"We became best friends right away. I guess you can say we needed a friendship with a good balance. Stella- the hot, fashionable one. And me - the sporty, preppy one. And you probably know, but Stella's dad died when she was young. 4 years old right?" 

I nodded. 

"So, we bonded over that. Not having our dads in our lives." 

Wow. This makes so much sense now. All of it. 

"And growing up with Stella, she told me about you guys. Even before you were famous. Nothing to crazy in detail, but I knew she was close to your family growing up, right?"

"Yeah. Stella's mom and my mom were childhood friends. They grew up together as kids and were close even as adults. Stella has always been like a sister to us, but when her dad died, her mom came around a lot more with her, growing up around us. You should see some of the family videos." I laughed, reminiscing. 

She laughed. 

"So, you like, took her in as your own." She smiled.

"Of course." I smiled back. "Her mom got a really great job to support them, which unfortunately made her absent from Stella's life a lot. Which is why her Aunt lives with her."

"Yeah, I know. I feel bad for her. At least I still have _my_ mom around most of the time." She said, sadly. 

"I know, but Stella has you... and us. She is never truly alone. She never will be." I avowed. 

She smiled brightly. 

"Well, back to my sob story. My mom finally made enough money to buy us this house, and we've been living here ever since. She opened up her shop and has been supporting the family all on her own. And with my help, occasionally, when I can pitch in." She smirked. 

"That's great, Macy." 

"Yeah, I guess it made me realize that things aren't so bad. We started to feel like a little family again, and I found anything to distract myself of the feeling of not having my dad around anymore. That's kind of where you guys came in." She admitted, sheepishly. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 

I sat there, waiting for her to continue. Why am I suddenly so nervous?

"Before you guys came to school with us, Stella told me all about your success at becoming a real band. It was liberating and inspirational. She was so happy for you guys, especially because she got to design your wardrobe. So, I started listening to all of your music, learning all the lyrics, and annoying my brother to no end. In the beginning, it was just because I wanted to be in the loop with Stella."

I chuckled.

"But I didn't realize how big of a fan base you had, until I decided to make my own fan accounts slash website. It felt nice to be apart of some sort of community, where we all supported each other and our favourite band. Plus, since I knew about you guys, before your fame, I felt like I belonged." She said, smiling at me. "I finally had something to fill that void, something that made me happy. You guys made me happy."

Wow. This all makes TOTAL sense. How I ever thought it was just infatuation, I will never know. Then suddenly, it hit me...

"Until we didn't." I said, sadly.

"Nick-"

"You didn't tell your Mom, did you? About what we did?"

"No, it wouldn't have done any good. She has a lot on her plate right now, I wouldn't want to stress her out with something so trivial."

"Macy. What happened was not trivial like you say it is. It was wrong, we hurt you..."

Macy frowned slightly. 

"And now, after finding out how much we truly meant to you. Me and my brothers. I feel like an even bigger jerk. I- I want to apologize again. I'm really sorry about all of it." I confessed, grabbing her hand next to me, squeezing it. 

"It's all in the past now, Nick." 

I couldn't tell if she meant what happened between us is in the past or if everything terrible that she's ever been through is in the past. Regardless, all of it _is_ in the past. Going forward, things will get better. Whether that's her life or our new budding friendship. Either one, I'm okay with. 

She smiled softly at me and I smiled back at her, not letting go of her hand. For some odd reason, it felt right not to. 

"Macy..."

"Yes?"

"If there is ever a time... where I start to become big-headed or too full of myself, just say this word to me..."

"What word?" 

"Sunset. Say the word: Sunset. Will you do that for me?"

She nodded, squeezing my hand. 

"Yeah? You promise?"

"I promise, Nick." 


	16. the start of something new

Macy's POV

Oh my god, last night was surreal. I can't believe I actually hung out with Nick Lucas, alone. 

I can't believe we actually played one on one together and I won. Well, that part is believable. And the fact that we actually sat down and talked. REALLY TALKED. It felt like such a dream come true. And it's not because I'm obsessed with him, I am so over that. It's because I honestly never thought I'd get a chance just to hang out with him.

Nick always seemed so closed off and to himself but after today, I realized that hanging out with Nick wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. He's really nice, kind, patient and pretty chill. It felt nice to act like his friend for once and not just some fan girl... well ex-fangirl. 

And throughout the time we hung out, we talked about - just about anything. He even asked me again about what happened with Felicia, which shocked me because I didn't think he really cared about what happened...but he did. He asked about it, so I told him. He didn't think any less of me which I was so happy about. But then he wanted to know more. More about me and my life.

_"Nick, please. We don't need to talk about my sob story. Honestly, I'm fine."_

_"Macy, that's great that you're fine, but I'd still like to know."_

I was so shocked, but at the same time, it felt right just to open up to him and tell him all about myself. I feel like before, Nick never understood me and where I stood with him. I just hope that opening up to him about my past and my past obsession with his band, helped him realize that I'm just a normal teenager, like him and his brothers. But what he said next, I did not see coming.

_"You didn't tell your Mom, did you? About what we did?"_

_"No, it wouldn't have done any good. She has a lot on her plate right now, I wouldn't want to stress her out with something to trivial."_

_"Macy. What happened was not trivial like you say it is. It was wrong, we hurt you... And now, after finding out how much we truly meant to you. Me and my brothers. I feel like an even bigger jerk. I- I want to apologize again. I'm really sorry about all of it."_

He keeps apologizing to me about what they did. I told him I already forgave him, but I guess it is nice to hear it come from Nick. It shows me that he actually cares about me, and my feelings. And did I mention that we held hands for a whole solid minute? It felt like forever, to be honest.

But I don't want to get too excited about it. This is Nick we're talking about... he'd never see me that way. I'm glad he's starting to see me even as a friend. It felt nice though, like he didn't know what else to say, so he held my hand. Squeezed it too. It was comforting, not going to lie. 

Through out the rest of the night, we talked about school, our classmates, our classes, our teachers. It was nice just to hang with him and talk about anything. But before he left, Nick asked me if I was down to hang out again tomorrow. I told him I was.

"Same spot tomorrow?" He suggested.

"Sure, Nick. Let's meet up after lunch. Around 1pm?"

"Okay, sounds good to me. Thanks again Macy, for everything." He said sincerely then started to walk out the front door. But before he started to make his way down the street, he stopped to smile and wave.

I waved back with a smile and slowly shut the door. I let out a happy sigh. 

"Well...he was nice. Are we going to see him again?" 

I slightly jumped, looking over at my Mom with a glare. She giggled. 

"Mom! You scared me!" 

She laughed again. "Sorry, honey." 

"And to answer your question, I'm hanging with him again tomorrow. If that's alright?" I asked, nervous. 

"Of course, as along as your chores are done." 

I nodded.

"Thanks, Mom."

I then made my way upstairs to my room. I was debating on calling Stella and talking to her about what happened tonight, but I decided against it for now. I'm sure it'll come out eventually to everyone. But for now, I just want this between us. Me and Nick. I hopped onto my bed and turned on my computer. I pulled up an empty document draft on my documents and started to type. Even though I don't have a website anymore, I still like to type out my thoughts and feelings. I guess you can say it's like a personal journal. 

STATUS & PROGRESS REPORT ON FRIENDSHIPS WITH THE LUCAS BROTHERS. 

  1. **Oldest brother - Kevin.**


  * Agreed to start a new and become friends.
  * Haven't talked much since then but are on good terms.
  * Acknowledges each other's presence when around each other.
  * Makes small talk when we do hang out.


    * **STATUS OF FRIENDSHIP:** Semi-friends.
    * **PROGRESS REPORT:** Fair 


  1. **Middle brother- Joe**


  * Have yet to really talk to him but are on good terms.
  * Says hello when with Stella. (That's how far our conversations have gotten)
  * waves in the halls sometimes.
  * Likes to banter with me when in a group setting.
  * Laughs at my jokes. 


    * **STATUS OF FRIENDSHIP:** Semi-friends.
    * **PROGRESS REPORT:** Fair/Satisfactory


  1. **Youngest brother - Nick**


  * Hung out with after school.
  * Joked around with a lot.
  * Played sports together.
  * Share meals together.
  * Went on numerous walks.
  * Opened up about myself to him.
  * **Have gotten the farthest with our new friendship out of the three of them.**


    * **STATUS OF FRIENDSHIP:** Friends.
    * **PROGRESS REPORT:** Good 



Interesting. Out of all the brothers, I thought Nick and I would be the last one to have a close friendship. Guess I was wrong. Well, I've been wrong about a lot of things lately, but just this once, I'm not mad about being wrong. I then closed my laptop and settled into my bed. I smiled, replaying the whole night in my head. Every detail, everyone conversation, every laugh we shared. And even the hand holding, let's not forget about that. I'm just really happy with the way things have turned around with me and Nick.

But for now, without getting my hopes to high, let's just see if or how long it lasts. 


	17. to never judge a book by it's cover

Nick's POV

“Hey Nick, you’re finally back.”

“Hey, Dad.”

When entering the house, I saw that my parents were home, just watching a movie with Frankie. They didn’t’ really ask me where I was, which I was thankful for.

I didn’t feel like explaining to them I was out with a girl. Wouldn’t want to give them the wrong impression. But Dad did see my gym bag, so he probably assumed that I was at the gym.

When I got upstairs, I expected to see both of my brothers lying around in our room, but I just saw Kevin chilling with his guitar in his lap.

“Where is Joe?” I asked, setting my bag down on my bed.

“Out with Stella. He said and I quote “If Nick can leave to hang with a friend, I’m leaving too.”

I laughed. He placed his guitar back with his other guitars and sat back down on the armchair.

“He’s so childish sometimes… and let’s be real. Stella - a friend?” I smirked, taking everything out of my gym bag, and putting it away.

“I know little bro.” He laughed.

“So, do you still wanna do band practice or?” He asked, scratching the back of his head. “Kind of hard without Joe, though.”

“No, let’s just do it sometime tomorrow. I just want to polish everything before we finish up the album. That’s all.” I stated, finally jumping onto my bed.

“Sounds good to me.” Kevin nodded, walking to leave our bedroom. But before he slid down the fire pole, he spoke up.

“Can you at least tell _me_ who you were with?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

I looked up at him from my bed and deeply sighed.

“Fine. Just don’t tell Joe. I mean it, Kevin.” I glared at him, sitting up on my bed.

“I promise, bro.”

“I was with Macy. We hung out.” I confessed, shrugging my shoulders like it was nothing.

“Ahhh, makes sense.” He chuckled, grabbing the fire pole. “Let me guess, you’re scared Joe will be like “I told you so!”

“It’s not like that. We’re just friends. But… I do feel differently towards her then I did before.” I admitted, rubbing the back of neck.

“Oh? How so?” He asked, walking back towards me. He then sat down next to me on my bed.

“Well, we talked about her life. Did you know Macy’s parents are divorced?”

“No. I didn’t.” He said, looking down at his hands.

“And she hasn’t seen her Dad since she was 10 years old?”

Kevin shook his head no.

“There was just so much we didn’t know about her. And we judged her before even getting to know her. I honestly thought Macy only liked us because she was infatuated with us but… it was more than that.” I explained.

Kevin nodded. 

“And after finding out how Macy and Stella became friends, ALL of it makes sense now.”

Kevin nodded again, slowly.

“So, what you're saying is… Macy - the world’s #1 biggest Jonas fan is just a small sliver of who she is - well… was?”

"Yup." I replied, popping the "p".

"And there is more to her than meets the eye?"

“Exactly.” I smiled.

“Hmm… I’d love to know about it all one day. If she’s willing to tell me about it.” He admitted, getting up from my bed.

“I’m sure she won’t mind. You guys are friends, right?” I reminded.

“Yeah, but not like you and her.”

He smiled and then walked towards one of the fire poles and slid down. I sat there, thinking about what he just said. Not like you and her? What does Kevin mean by that? Macy and I are just friends. Our friendship is no different then his friendship with her or with Joe? Is it? I frowned, thinking about how it could be different. Well, lately we have been seeing each other a lot more at school. Macy and I have a few periods together, and sometimes we work on our homework together.

During our school breaks, her and Stella will come to our lockers to talk to us, make fun of Joe, talk about school gossip...we even have inside jokes about some our classmates and teachers. She’ll sit with us during lunch too… now come to think of it…

She always sits beside me. Always. It feels weird if she didn’t. It’s like we all know where our spots are and there’s no changing it. We even wave and smile to each other a lot more in the halls...but she does this with my brothers too?

Kevin just probably thinks that Macy doesn’t really like him, after everything. But I’m sure she does. Why wouldn’t she? And come on, Macy wouldn’t pick favorites! Before, she could hardly decide which Jonas member she liked more when she was obsessed with our band.

I shook my head, deciding not to think about this any longer. I’m exhausted and need some rest. Maybe tomorrow we can do something else at the park instead of basketball? I looked over at my acoustic sitting next to my bed and got a great idea.

Hmm, I know what we can do together. We'll just keep the singing out of it. 


	18. the pressure is on

Nick's POV

“Hey Nick! Wake up, bro!”

Sigh. Why am I being woken up on a Saturday, of all days? Just let me sleep in! I grumbled, and turned over in my sleep, pulling the blankets on me to cover myself.

“Nick! Come on! Dad wants up to finish the album today by noon! It’s already 11:00 am!” Joe entreated.

11:00 am?

I shot up out of bed, quickly.

“Why didn’t you guys wake me up earlier?” I yelled, groggily.

“We tried! Whatever you were dreaming about… or whoever. You really didn’t want to wake up.” Kevin teased.

I shot him a look of annoyance.

Alright, I’m up. Let’s do this. We have a full hour to get this done. I looked over at my acoustic and started to get out of bed. We really need to finish this. If we’re not done by noon, Dad is going to kill us, plus… I won’t be able to hang with Macy today, like we planned.

I got dressed quickly, brushed my teeth, grabbed an apple, and went straight to the recording area. I noticed that everything was already pulled up and ready to polish. All the tracks, the lyrics, the written notes, everything.

“You guys got all of this ready by yourselves?” I asked, shocked, shifting through some papers.

Joe scoffed while walking into the recording area.

“Uh yeah, you were sleeping so Kev and I had to do it.”

“Thanks guys.”

Kevin shook his head with amusement when he plugged in his guitar to our amp.

“No problem. Let’s just do this before Dad gets home.” Kevin advised.

After a whole hour of re-recording and polishing, we literally finished in record time, 11:55 am.

The whole album was set up for Dad to listen to, make some copies of it, send it to our record label - Malcolm Meckle and get the whole team to listen to it. If the album is approved, the label will start to sell copies of it in stores and even online.

I’m so happy that we finally finished it. And I’m happy with all the songs on the album. My brothers did an amazing job. They really did. I feel like I was slacking on this album… like my creative process wasn’t there… it took me a while to finish a song with the whole Macy incident going on. My mind couldn’t focus on the music. But everything worked out, I guess.

Dad said that if this album is a hit, we can incorporate it into our summer tour set list… which we still haven’t even began talking about. I wonder how far Dad is with this planning of the tour anyway.

“Phew. That was a close one.” Kevin said, wiping his forehead.

“Yeah.” Joe agreed, sitting down on one of the armchairs.

I nodded. Well, at least now I can spend the rest of the day with Macy. My brothers and I started to clean up the recording area when my cell rang. I ran to my bedside table and answered it.

“Hello?”

**_“Hey Nick. It’s Dad. Is the album done yet?”_ **

“Hey and yeah. It’s ready to go, dad.”

**_“Perfect! Why don’t I pick up some celebratory donuts on my way home? I’ll send out the album to Meckle around 1:30. See if Stella and her friend, uh- what’s her name?”_ **

“Macy?”

**_“Yeah. See if they want to come over and have some. I’ll have enough to go around.”_ **

“Uh, okay dad. I’ll find out.”

**_“Oh! And is your mother home yet?”_ **

“Um, I didn’t realize Mom was MIA.”

**_“Yeah, she took your brother out for a bit. She’d thought she’ll let you guys sleep in. You were all sleeping like “little angels.” Her words, not mine.”_ **

I laughed.

“Oh, well she’s not home yet.”

**_“No problem, I’ll just call her when I get home. See you kids soon!”_ **

“Bye Dad.”

I smiled and hung up the phone, placing my phone in my pocket. I grabbed my acoustic and wrapped it around my shoulder.

“What did Dad want?” Joe asked, curiously.

“Can you call Stella, Joe? Dad is bringing celebratory donuts and said she should come over later and have some.” I explained, walking towards the fire pole.

“Uh, okay, sure. But why did you say Macy?”

I stopped before grabbing the pole, looking back at Joe.

“He wants Stella to bring her too.” I conceded.

Joe nodded in understanding.

“Oh, cool!” Kevin smiled, putting his guitar away.

I smiled back and was about to slide down when I added.

“Oh and… I’m going to go eat some brunch then meet up with my friend again. I’ll be home before Dad comes home.”

“Going out again, why?” Joe asked, suspiciously.

“Because… I made plans." I answered, before sliding down the pole. "See ya!"

Joe’s POV

“Plans? With who?” I called out.

Kevin chuckled to himself. 

“Let me guess… he told you who it was?”

“Yeah. But I’m sure he’ll tell you eventually.” Kevin replied, sitting on one of the armchairs, pulling his phone out.

“Why doesn’t he trust me?”

“He does. But you just tend to tease him a lot.” Kevin remarked. “So, he doesn’t want to tell you yet.”

“We all tease each other! That doesn’t make sense.” I retorted, crossing my arms.

“Yeah, we do but... you like to tease him about his love life or him having any sort of friend other than us. He never teases you about your friendships or relationships… like with Stella?”

I frowned. Ouch.

“It’s complicated… you guys know that. I at least tell you that much.”

“Yeah sometimes, you tell us too much. Whatever you have going on with Stella, we really can’t help you with that. We can only give so much advice until you have to figure it out on your own, lover boy.”

“I-I know.” I replied, solemnly.

“You see?" Kevin said as he got up from the armchair. He walked towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“This is complicated for him too. Maybe he just wants to figure this all out before he tells the whole world about it. Nick is not like you and me. You know that.” 

I nodded. I understand now where he’s coming from.

I guess I never really realized that I teased him that much... but I never meant any harm. We're brothers, we give each other a hard time but looking back at that day during breakfast, where I teased him about liking Macy. He got really upset. So upset, he probably wouldn't have thought twice on punching me in the face.

Maybe from now on, I'll just wait until he's ready to talk to me. 

"I understand, Kev. When he's ready, I'll be there for him."

Kevin smiled. 

“And from now on, no more teasing. Well, not as much.”

“Sounds good to me, bro."


	19. honesty - the best policy

Nick’s POV

After some yummy brunch, I finally made it to the park. I sat on a park bench, set my guitar down next to me and watched the community around me enjoy the park. Some people were here with their families, some were here with their dogs. As I was admiring, I noticed an elderly couple sitting close together on a park bench right across from me. They looked so happy and in love, after all that time of being together. I smiled, starting to think about my mom and dad, and how long their love has lasted.

I guess, I’m just a hopeless romantic. Which is why I write all the #1 hits.

I started to wonder… Will I ever find a love like that one day? I fall so fast for girls at my school and it never did any good. The next girl I fall for… I’ll take my time. Understand what I’m feeling first and then act upon those feelings. And not get scared to admit how I feel. I’m tired of rushing in too fast without knowing where I stand with them. I really want to be on the same page and just be happy with someone for once.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Focus, Lucas. Macy will be here soon.

I checked my watch and looked at the time. 12:52. Yup, soon Macy will be here. She texted me while I was eating, telling me she’ll be there at 1. I decided to get her number from Stella, since I never asked for it from her. She didn’t mind that Stella gave me her number, she said it was actually a good idea. Now we can contact each other when we need too. I sat there for a few more minutes, thinking about the songs I’d like to teach Macy on guitar. She has no idea that I even brought it. I told her just to come causally, I suggested that we could play basketball another time. She agreed but has no idea what we’re going to be doing to spend our time. Hopefully, Macy likes this little surprise.

“Hey, Nick!”

I turned my head towards my name being called and came face to face with Macy. She was wearing a huge smile on her face.

"Glad you could make it!" I teased.

“And you brought your guitar?” She laughed, sitting next to me on the bench.

“Yeah, you like it?” I chuckled, placing it on my lap.

“Yeah, it’s a beautiful instrument…” She said, lightly petting the body of the guitar.

I smiled widely. She then quickly took her hand off it.

“Lucas, I hope you don’t plan on having me _sing_.” She teased, crossing her arms. “I don’t think that’ll be a good idea. Especially in a place this public.”

“No, I thought I could teach you how to play first.” I suggested, shrugging my shoulder slightly.

She chuckled and nodded.

“Then we can work on the singing.” I teased.

She smirked, lightly hitting me. I laughed, rubbing at my arm. 

“Okay, I’d really like to learn how to play, actually.” She said, excited.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I figured if I couldn’t sing, I’d at least learn how to play an instrument. I love music so it would be something I could do.”

I nodded.

“Cool. Let’s get started then.”

“Okay.”

Thank god, she liked the surprise. I motioned for her to move closer to me, close enough that our legs were touching. It felt pretty nerve wrecking having her this close, but I needed her to move so I could hold the neck of my guitar while she strummed. I sat the guitar carefully onto her lap and placed my hand in the position for the first note we were going to play. 

“Okay, so this is a G.”

She strummed the note a few times.

“Good, now this note is an E.”

Eventually, we went through every note, strumming each note a few times. She didn't even realize what song we just played.

“Very good, Macy. You’re shredding Twinkle, Twinkle, Litter Star.”

She laughed.

“Thanks. I have a good teacher.” She joked.

I chuckled lightly.

“You know, I think a guitar should always be a two-person instrument.” She smiled, looking over at me.

“Well, I guess that depends on the two people.” I said, without even thinking.

We suddenly locked eyes as I finished my sentence. It felt like we were looking at each other for days before I finally broke away. I cleared my throat, moving the guitar off her lap. "We can practice more later, if you want?"

“Sure, but...it’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we go get some ice cream or something?” Macy suggested.

“Okay, sounds good to me.” I replied. Anything to get me out of this funk. I gathered up my things and Macy and I started to walk together to the closest ice cream shop.

“Hi, welcome to Benjamin’s Eatery. How can I help you?”

“Ladies first.” I suggested, motioning her to go ahead. She smiled.

“Thanks Nick. I’ll have the peanut butter-chocolate ice cream, please.”

“Yeah, no problem. That’ll be-”

As she was ordering, I was checking out the menu of the ice creams. While I was trying to decide what I wanted, a group of young girls came up to us in line. They can’t be anymore than 12 years old.

“Oh my god! You’re Nick Lucas!” One girl squealed.

“We are such huge fans of your band!” Her friend exclaimed, giggling.

“And you.” The one girl added, sweetly. “We have like ALL your albums.”

“Thank you, guys. That’s so kind.” I smiled, hoping one of the girls will just ask for a group picture already. I’d like to hang with Macy.

“Would you guys maybe want a-”

But before I could finish my sentence, I was cut off by one of the girls.

“Who’s this? Your girlfriend?” She asked suspiciously, pointing towards Macy.

I was shocked. This girl was so blunt. As I was about to answer, Macy spoke up.

“No, we’re just friends. I’m Macy. Nick and I go to the same school.” She answered, while grabbing her ice cream from the worker.

“Macy? Like Macy Misa?”

“Yeah?” She laughed nervously. “How’d you know?”

“You ran the #1 Jonas fan website, right? I used to go on there all the time!” One of the girls stated.

“Oh, yeah?” She smiled, taking a bite of her ice cream. “That’s awesome.”

“Yeah, so, why did you delete it? Do you know how many people got mad at you for deleting everything?” She asked, crossing her arms.

“I don’t know… I guess I just grew up.” She chuckled.

I looked over at her, with a curious expression. What did she mean by that?

They all look at her confused.

“What do you mean?” One of the girls scoffed. 

“How do I explain this?” She hummed, thoughtfully. 

“You see, because I had the privilege of being able to get to know the guys in person, I guess I realized that it was silly of me to act like I knew so much about them and post it online. In reality, I hardly knew them at all. So, I decided that it was easier to actually be their friend, then just hide behind my computer, pretending I was.”

The group of girls looked at each other with a confused expression.

“So, you're just done with the website? That’s it?”

“Yup. I want live my life with the one’s I care about.” She looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back.

“Make memories with my friends and family, in real time. Not just live my life online. When you guys get older, maybe one day, you’ll get there too.”

“Yeah, whatever, let’s go girls.” The girls scoffed, walking away.

“But we didn’t get a picture!” The one girl whined, following her friends.

I smiled brightly at Macy. Wow, I never knew she felt that way. She really has changed, or maybe this is what she was this whole time, and I never got to see it firsthand. I’m glad I finally get to now.

“Hey dude, you going to order or what? You’re holding up the line!”

“Yeah, sorry.” I replied sheepishly, finally looking away from Macy. 

Once we got our ice cream, we found an empty table to sit at.

“That was pretty awesome, what you said back there.” I said, taking a bite of my ice cream.

She scooped up some ice cream, shrugging her shoulders.

“It was nothing, really.”

“Macy, you were honest. Honesty really isn’t around anymore these days.” I stated, matter-of-factly.

“Well, lately, I’ve come to realize that honesty is in fact, the best policy.” She laughed, taking a bite of her ice cream.

I chuckled. She’s not wrong.

“Which reminds me… We really haven’t been totally honest with each other, have we?” She commented.

I set my ice cream down in front of me, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I told you my life story… and I don’t regret it. I feel like it’s made us closer somehow.”

“I agree. But?”

“But…” She faltered, pushing hair behind her ear. I looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

“I really don’t know anything about you, not really. I know your story about your band with your brothers, but I don’t know about what makes ‘Nick’ Nick.” She laughed, digging her spoon in her ice cream.

I sat there, soaking in what she just said.

“I guess, I’d like to know. That’s all.” She finished, looking down at her ice cream.

I looked down at my hands nervously. What would she like to know? I’m not anything special. There’s not some magical secret about myself that no one knows. I’m just me, Nick.

“Well, what would you like to know?” I finally asked.

“I don’t know.” She answered earnestly. “Whatever you feel like telling me.”

“Uh - um” I stuttered.

“It’s doesn’t have to be right now.” She cut in. She then placed her hand on my shoulder. “You can tell me whenever you’re ready.”

We locked eyes for a few seconds. She smiled at me, before we turned back to our ice creams.

Now that I think about it, it’s hard for me to open up about myself. I’m so closed off and private. I was never one to talk about myself to anyone, well unless it’s about my music.

To tell people what kind of guy I am at home or what I like to do for fun? It’s weird for me to talk about my self like that to someone. Especially someone I hardly know - like in interviews... I guess I got so used to telling people what they wanted to hear about myself, and not actually the truth of who I am. But Macy is different…

Macy wants to know the real me. Nick Lucas - The ordinary guy from New Jersey, not Nick - the Rock Star. 

And if Macy wants to know everything about me, then I'll tell her. In the best way I know how. 


	20. celebratory donuts

Nick's POV

After hanging with Macy, I came straight home and spent the rest of my Sunday, working on my newest song. It's a song all about me. It was hard to put it together at first, but I eventually got the song where I wanted it. 

Probably due to the fact that my brothers didn't bother me at all through the night. They saw me hard at work, working on the lyrics. Joe did ask why I was writing a song so late at night, felt the need to remind me that our album was done already but I just told him I had a spark of inspiration and needed to get it down on paper. He just nodded and left me alone to go play video games with Kevin.

So, hopefully, today, during lunch period, I'll be able to get Macy alone and sing it to her. But I didn't get started on it until late last night because when I got home from hanging with Macy, I got bombarded with questions on where I was by my whole family. Mom and Dad especially, since they never knew I left.

I guess they tried calling me, but I didn't even take my phone out once while I was with Macy - I then remember that I placed it on silent, after that one-time Joe called me, snooping about where I was. I didn't want to get interrupted again.

But apparently, while I was out with Macy, my Dad sent out the copy of our newest album to Malcolm Meckle and our label. And they loved it! They told my Dad to start planning to incorporate it into our upcoming tour! I was so excited and happy to find this out. My brother's and I literally jumped for joy in a group hug.

And like my Dad promised, he brought celebratory donuts. Stella was able to come over for some and hang out, but Macy couldn't come. I guess she was busy with her mom at her store. But Stella called her, letting her know the good news, she congratulated us and was really happy for us. It felt nice, having her support still, after everything we put her through. Even after everything that has happened, Macy is still our #1 fan.

I smiled, walking up to my locker, not even noticing my brothers walking towards me. I pulled out my books, getting lost into thoughts. One more period and it’s showtime.

I brought my guitar with me to school and my music teacher said I could leave it in his office. I told him it was important… I quote on quote "needed to work on a song for an album." He didn’t think twice about letting me keep it in his office, although both my brothers did a double take once they saw that I brought it into the car. They noticed it sitting with me in the back seat. They didn’t ask why, which I was grateful for, but they did send me a confused look, which didn’t bother me the slightest.

“Hey bro... uh…hello? Earth to Nick?"

“Huh?”

I looked over at my brothers, leaning up against the lockers next to me.

“You alright?” Joe laughed, opening his locker and grabbing his texts.

“Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.” I admitted, finally closing my locker. The bell for the second period was going to ring any minute.

“Let me guess, you’re stressing about the album or the tour? Both?” Kevin guessed, grabbing his books.

“No, I’m not stressed about that at all, actually.” I smirked, checking my watch.

“Stressed about a test?” Kevin tried again.

“Or is it about this ‘new friend’ you never want to tell me about?” Joe teased, closing his locker.

I suddenly looked up at him, not expecting him to say something like that.

“So, it is about that!” Joe confirmed, shaking his finger at me, smiling.

“Joe-”

“So? What if it is?” I shot back, getting my guard up.

“It’s all good, bro. I’m just teasing.” Joe said, putting his hands up in surrender. 

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in.

“Tell us when you’re ready? Cool?” Joe smiled.

I smiled back at Joe. Hmm, where have I heard that before?

**_“It doesn’t have to be right now… you can tell me whenever you're ready.”_ **

I’ll tell Joe about all this, eventually. But not right now - right now, I have something important to do today. The bell finally rang, we said our goodbyes and we split up to go to our classes.

One more period… just one and it’s showtime. If I can grab my guitar quick and get Macy alone first.

Macy’s POV

Once I got home from hanging with Nick, my mother bombarded me with questions like “how was my day?” and “what did we do together?” I honestly told her that we played guitar and went for ice cream.

She was really happy to hear that and asked me if I was going feature or sing back up on another song of theirs. I told her it was just for fun. She didn’t seem to believe me, but I’ll let her think what she wants.

She also asked me if my schedule was clear for rest of the day and I told her it was. I finished my homework and chores before I hung out with Nick in the morning.

“Great! You can help me at the Shop for the rest of the day!” She said, placing her hand on my shoulder. “We need to leave in like 15 minutes.”

“Okay. But where’s Liam?” I asked, looking around for him. He usually is in the living room, playing video games.

“I sent him over to Grandma’s, we’re going to be working late today at the Shop. Grandma offered to drop him off at school tomorrow morning, so it’s just you and me tonight, Mace.”

“Oh, okay mom. That sounds good.” I smiled. It’s been a while since we hung out, just the two of us.

“Listen, Macy. I know we really haven’t spent much time together… I’m sorry. I know you understand but I still want to try and make it up to you.” Mom smiled sadly. “I love you, honey.”

“Love you too, mom.”

We wrapped our arms around each other, hugging tightly.

Mom and I worked at the shop for a few hours before she told me to go take a break and gave me her phone. We were running late to the shop, and I forgot my phone. I guess we needed to be there right away because Mom had people coming to meet with her about the renovations. So, when she gave me her phone to go on for a bit, I wasn’t going to argue with her. I then went to her office, sat on her wheelie chair and started to scroll through social media, catching up on the latest gossip, when suddenly mom's phone rang. It was… Stella?

“Hello?”

 ** _“Macy! Where are you? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for a full hour!”_** She asked, annoyed.

“I’m sorry! I've been at the shop here with Mom and I forgot my phone at home!” I explained.

 ** _“Oh okay. Well, whatever. It’s a good thing I tried your mom's cell then. I have great news I have to tell you!”_** She said, happily.

“What is it? Did the school burn down?” I joked. “Is it a fashion emergency?”

I suddenly heard a lot of laughter coming from the other end of the phone. So, Stella’s not alone then.

**_“Shut up, you guys!”_ **

I could still hear them snickering over the phone.

**_“No, you nut! I’m with the guys and their latest album has gotten approved! It’s going to be in stores in like - 10 days!”_ **

**_“5 actually.”_ **

Someone cut in… was that Kevin?

“What? No way! That’s awesome! To be honest, I totally forgot that you guys have been working on a new album.” I admitted, sheepishly.

 ** _“Who are you? And what have you done with Macy Misa - World’s #1 Jonas fan? Yeah right.”_** Joe teased.

“Ha-ha. Good one.” I shot back, playfully.

 ** _“And -”_** _Stella cut in. **“They’re going to add the new songs from the album on their upcoming tour set-list. So much good news to be happy about, and you’re working?”**_ She grumbled.

“Yeah, sorry guys. I’d love to be there to celebrate with you, but I can’t. Hope you understand.” I responded, solemnly.

**_“Aw man! You know, you’re missing celebratory donuts!”_ **

**_“Joe, don’t tease her!”_** Stella scolded.

I laughed.

 ** _“No worries, Macy. Spend time with your mom. We can all celebrate together later.”_** Nick added. 

I smiled brightly, then suddenly; my mom started calling me from inside the shop. Sigh.

“Sounds good! I got to go, though. Congrats again!”

 ** _“Thank you, Macy!”_** They all responded through the phone.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” I said, getting up from the chair. I was about to hang up the phone when Joe spoke up.

 ** _“Not if I burn the school down first!”_** Joe joked.

Another eruption of laughter came through when Stella, finally came back onto the phone.

**_“Joe don’t joke about something like that, you weirdo! See ya, girl.”_ **

“Bye!”

**_“But Macy said it first, I was-”_ **

The phone finally hung up and I shook my head with amusement.

My mom then walked up to me in the office, holding her hand out, probably wanting her phone back. I handed it back to her. While she was placing it back into her pocket, she spoke up.

“What’s got you so happy?”

“You, mom.”

“Aw, honey.” She smiled brightly, throwing her right arm around my shoulders.

“Let’s get back to work, shall we? Then we can go home, order some takeout and binge watch Netflix. Sound good to you?”

“Very good.”

We both giggled, walking back into the store to finish up. 


	21. introducing me

If you couldn't tell already because of the title of this chapter - this is the song that Nick sings in this chapter: Introducing Me by Nick Jonas - Camp Rock 2.

[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3aqlpv4Pkc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3aqlpv4Pkc%C2%A0)

* * *

Nick's POV

Instead of counting down the minutes until the end of the day, I was just counting down the minutes of second period.

Right when the bell rang, I ran as fast as I could to my locker, threw my books in and jogged over to the music room. I knocked on my teacher’s office door. Come on, please be here. Before knocking again, Mr. Scott walked in the classroom, toward his office. He took the keys out, opened it, then smiled at me and let me in. Thank God. I remembered him telling me that he’ll be at his office right at the beginning of lunch, and he was. 

"Hope you didn't wait too long, Mr. Lucas."

“No worries. Thanks again, sir.”

“No problem, Nick. Good luck.”

Thanks. I was going to need it.

Once I made my way out into the hallway, I slung my guitar over my shoulder and walked over to Stella's locker, expecting Macy to be there with her. But she wasn’t?

“Hey, Stella.”

“Oh! Hey Nick. I was just about to meet you guys at our spot, what are you doing here?” She asked, closing her locker. “And why do you have your guitar?”

“I wanted to speak with Macy, is she not here today?”

“No, she is. She just has track practice. You know, in a few days, they’re finishing up the competitions here to move on to the next one at Kent Place.”

“Track, damn. That’s right.” I sighed.

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” She asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I just have to find Macy before she leaves for track.” I said, starting to fast walk back down the hallway.

“Try the gym!” She called.

“Got it, thanks!”

I ran to the gym, dodging out of the way of people that were standing in the hallway. I tried not run into anybody, but it was hard not to, having my guitar slung over my back. I finally made it to the gym doors and threw them open, hoping Macy was still in here and not at the track in the back of the school. She was here, sitting on the bench in the gym. It looked like she was tying up her shoes. She looked like… Macy. Wearing her classic gym shorts and t-shirt, with her Nike running shoes, and having her hair in a high ponytail.

“Hey, Macy.”

She jumped slightly.

“Nick? What are you doing here?” She gasped.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay. What’s up?” She asked, eyeing my guitar.

“I just need to tell you something.”

“Oh, okay. But I have to go to track.”

“I know but I couldn’t wait.”

I then pulled out a piece of paper out of my shirt pocket.

“What’s this?”

“It's a list - of all the things that nobody knows about me.”

She looked at it curiously, then back at me, smiling.

Suddenly, there was a group of students from the track team that were walking by the gym. Probably making their way outside to the field for track practice. We sat there quietly, hoping they wouldn’t interrupt us. While sitting there, we overheard their conversation.

_“Where’s Macy?”_

_“I don’t know. Usually, she’s the first one at practice.”_

_“Well, she has 5 minutes to get to the field or she’ll be late.”_

Macy frowned, worriedly. Putting the paper back into my pocket.

“I’m sorry Nick, I really have to go.” She said, sadly.

“Wait, but you still got 5 minutes.” I reminded.

We locked eyes for a moment, until she gave in. She let out a little sigh and sat back down on the bench.

“Okay. 5 minutes.”

I let out a nervous breath and sat next to her on the bench. She turned towards me as I placed my fingers on the fret of the guitar and strummed the first notes of the song. She smiled lightly at me as a I started to sing.

 _"I’m -_ I’m _good at wasting time, I think lyrics need to rhyme. And you're not asking_ , _but I'm trying to grow a mustache.”_

I looked down towards my lip. She giggled.

_"I eat cheese, but only on pizza, please. And sometimes on a homemade quesadilla, otherwise it smells like feet to me. And I-”_

She crinkled her eyebrows in disgust, then smiled.

_“I really like it when the moon looks like a toenail. And I love it when you say my name.”_

She blushed slightly.

 _"If you wanna know, here it goes, gonna tell you this. The part of me that shows if you're close, gonna let you see - everything._ _But remember that you asked for it_. _”_

She raised an eyebrow, smirking.

_"I'll try to do my best to impress, but it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest, but you wanna hear what lives in my brain. My heart, well you asked for it.”_

She smiled brightly, as I continued to sing.

_“For your perusing? At times confusing, slightly amusing, introducing me. Doo doo, doo doo doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo doo, la da da da, La da da da da da da da, da.”_

As I was about to sing the next verse of my song, a female voice boomed out from the announcement speaker. “Message from Coach Milers - Can Ms. Misa please report to the field for track practice. Thank you!”

She suddenly got up off the bench but sat down quickly once I started the next verse. I decided to pick up speed since we were running out of time.

 _"I never trust a dog to watch my food. And I like to use to the word "dude_ ” _, as a noun, or an adverb, or an adjective.”_

She laughed, covering her smile. She then got up off the bench and started to make her way to the field. I walked next to her, continuing to play.

 _“And I've never_ _\- really been into cars. I like really cool guitars and superheroes_ _and checks with lots of zeros on 'em.”_

Macy raised her eyebrow at me, playfully. I stopped and stood in front of her.

_“I love the sound of violins. And making someone smile.”_

Macy blushed again, looking down at the ground. We then started to walk again as I started to sing the chorus.

 _"If you wanna know_ , _here it goes, gonna tell you this. The part of me that shows if you're close, gonna let you see - everything. But remember that you asked for it.”_

She smiled brightly at me.

_"I'll try to do my best to impress, but it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest, but you wanna hear what lives in my brain. My heart, well you asked for it.”_

We finally made our way outside; I knew I had about a minute before we reached the field/track.

 _“For your perusing?_ _At times confusing, possibly_ _amusing, introducing me.”_

I stood in front of her to sing out this line. Macy stopped walking and turned to face me.

 _"Well, you probably know more than you ever wanted to. So,_ _be careful when you ask next time.”_

I sent her a playful smile. She smirked back at me. 

_“So, if you wanna know, here it goes, gonna tell you this. The part of me that shows if you're close, gonna let you see - everything. But remember that you asked for it.”_

We started walking onto the grass, to the field. Other students that were doing the same, were watching us, confused on what was going on. Macy and I just locked eyes, focusing on each other as we walked.

_"I'll try to do my best to impress, but it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest, but you wanna hear what lives in my brain. My heart, well you asked for it.”_

We finally made it to the field/track when crowd of students grouped closer to us as I finished my song. Macy and I just stood in front of each other, ignoring the people around us.

 _“For your pursing? At times confusing, hopefully amusing, introducing me_. _Doo doo, doo doo doo doo. Doo doo, doo doo doo doo. Doo_ _\- doo_ _\- doo doo. Introducing me.”_

I strummed the last note hard. A group of girls on the track team started to clap and whistle. Macy and I smiled at each other, when suddenly, Mr. Milers walked up to us, looking angry as hell.

“So, Lucas… this is why Ms. Misa was late to practice today.”

“Uh- sorry sir. It won’t happen again.” I replied, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Yeah, it better not. Get off my field.” He warned. I then started to rush, getting myself off the field.

“Yes- okay. Bye Macy.” I stuttered nervously, waving goodbye to her.

She waved back. “Bye Nick!”

“Bye Nick!” The group of girls called as I made my way back. They all started to laugh, teasing Macy.

She blushed, covering her face with her hands.

“Shows over now, ladies. Let’s get to work.”


	22. mean girls 2

_“Did you hear about the latest gossip on Macy Misa?”_

_“What? No! What did I miss?”_

_“Apparently, Nick Lucas was singing to her at track practice yesterday. It’s that embarrassing.”_

_“Oh my god, why would he do THAT? Especially to her? Isn’t she like obsessed with him?”_

_“And his brothers.”_

_“Mmm, straight facts.”_

_“Well, I have a feeling she paid him to do it…I don’t know.”_

_“Or maybe they got something going on? Seeing each other outside of school?”_

_“EW. Disgusting."_

_“It’s possible though - think about it…with her being their #1 fan... there is no telling what she’d do for him!”_

_“Oh, that’s so scandalous.”_

_“Ew! Oh my god!”_

_“What. A. Slut.”_

Macy's POV

I couldn’t believe yesterday… was it real? Did it even happen, or did I make it up? Nick Lucas actually preformed a song to me. It was quite entertaining, I’ll say that. And a bit embarrassing. For me or for him? Couldn't tell. 

But to be honest, I’d never seen Nick like that before. So unfazed about what people were saying, he was just focused on singing his song and it really looked like he was enjoying himself. Not caring about anything. Which was so awesome, by the way!

I thought back to that day when we shared ice cream together and at the time, I thought maybe he would just tell me some mundane facts about himself, but he went all out with that song. And I loved it.

I found out things about him that I never would have even guessed. He really is just a normal guy with well… some almost normal quirks. I’m glad he finally felt comfortable enough to open up to me, like I did with him.

Second period finally ended, and I was making my way to my locker to grab my lunch. I was so lost into my thoughts about yesterday, that I didn’t even notice Stella run up to me.

“Macy! What is this!”

“What is what?” I asked, confused, closing my locker.

Stella then held up her pink, glittery cellphone and pressed play on a video, then dropped her lunch bag onto the floor. 

“Someone sent this to me during second period. Is that you and Nick?” She asked, shoving the phone in my face.

I grabbed the phone from her and continued to watch the video. It was me, Nick and the track team. It was when Nick was singing his song to me. Oh... I didn’t realize that this got recorded. No one is allowed to have their phone’s during practice - coach Miler’s rules. Who could have recorded it?

“So, that's why he wanted to find you…to serenade you.” She laughed, grabbing the phone out of my hands and picking up her lunch bag off the floor. 

“What? Find me? Serenade? No… he-”

“But what I don’t understand is why you would tell me about it? I had to find out through other people! I feel like I don’t know anything about you anymore!” She pouted.

“Stella-”

What is happening right now!

“Honestly, it’s fine, Macy. I just want to know… is something going on with you and him? You can’t be helping your mom at the shop every weekend…You and him must be hanging out then? Are you seeing each other? Since when? How-” She babbled, smiling brightly. 

“Stella stop. No. Nick and I are just friends!” I cut in before she could continue. 

“What?”

I nodded.

“Just friends.” I re-stated.

She huffed, placing her hand on her hips.

“Then… what-”

“Was the song about?” I finished for her.

I sighed.

“It was silly really. So, you know how ever since that incident with singing back up on their track, I wanted to become closer to the boys on a real level?"

She nodded, waiting for me to continue.

"Well, I figured out that out of all the Lucas brothers, I'm the closest with Nick."

Stella made a face. I couldn't tell if it was shock, confusion or amusement. 

"I know right! It's such a shocker. Anyway, while Nick and I were hanging out one time, I just asked Nick to... I don’t know, tell me a little bit more about himself-"

Stella raised her eyebrows. 

"I just I wanted to know the little things that make Nick... well, Nick. And I might have recently opened up to him about my dad and-”

“Wait...really?” Stella gasped.

“Yeah.” I shrugged.

I then started to walk towards the cafeteria, with Stella following my lead.

“So, he did what he does best and wrote a song literally all about himself."

"Yeah, that sounds like Nick." Stella laughed. "Anything to help with his huge, inflated ego."

I laughed.

"But yeah, the song - he sang it to me. It was… sweet. I don’t know.”

“Oh, okay. So... nothing really is going on between you and Nick?” She questioned, as we were about to walk through the cafeteria doors and to our usual table. "Just friends?"

The guys were already sitting there, talking about god knows what. 

“Yes. Just friends.” 

Nick's POV

"Nicholas Lucas! You got some explaining to do!" 

"Well, hello to you too, Joe." I smirked. 

Kevin chuckled, leaning up against his locker. 

What the hell was Joe on about now? It was finally lunch period and thank god it was. I needed a break from doing the stupidest math that has ever been apart of the school's curriculum. Why do I need to know all these formulas? I'm a musician for god sake! When am I ever going to use this?

This is why music class is my favorite time of day. Well, other than hanging out with my friends....and I know. I don't have many. There's Stella, Macy and well, I guess I could include my brothers.

I opened my locker and grabbed out my packed lunch, already over Joe and his antics. 

"What can you make of this video, Nicky boy." He asked, whipping out his cellphone with an evil smirk. 

"What video?" I asked confused, taking his phone from him. I pressed play and suddenly, my heart dropped into my stomach. 

_"If you wanna know, here it goes, gonna tell you this. The part of me that shows if you're close, gonna let you see - everything._ _But remember that you asked for it_... _”_

Joe let out an evil giggle.

"If my eyes aren't deceiving me... that's you, correct?" He asked, walking up to me. Kevin shook his head in amusement and opened his locker door.

I nodded, continuing to watch the video. 

"Singing a song to none other than Macy - The biggest #1 Jonas fan - Misa." He chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulders. 

Kevin laughed, grabbing his lunch bag out of his locker. 

I nodded again, speechless. I had no idea that this was recorded. But now that I think about it... I really wasn't paying attention to much other then Macy. Who could have recorded this?

"Hmmm... so if my theory is correct... the song you were working on the other day was about... well for - Macy."

The video finally ended, and I handed back his cellphone. Joe smirked then started to walk to his locker to grab his lunch bag. 

"Wow Joe. Incredible. You're such a genius." I sneered sarcastically, clapping my hands. 

"Thank you. Thank you! I'll be here all week!" He joked, bowing to a fake audience.

I shook my head. He laughed. I gave him an annoyed look. 

"Let's go guys, I'm sure the girls are waiting for us." Kevin said. "Shouldn't keep them waiting." 

"Yeah, you're probably right." I replied, then started to walk towards the cafeteria. 

"Yeah, let's go. I bet Nick wants to save Macy her seat."

"Joe, stop." 

I growled, walking into the cafeteria. I can't let him bother me, I need to know who recorded that... come on, think Lucas.

We all made our way to our usual table and sat down. Joe then turned to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"Seriously though, can you at least tell me about what's going on now? I'm sure I'll find out soon from Stella anyway... but I'd rather hear it from you though, bro."

I sighed. 

"There really isn't this big secret that I'm hiding from you, Joe." I commented. 

"Well then, what is it?" He urged. "Are you guys a thing now?"

"A thing?"

"Yes, a thing, with you and Macy, idiot."

"Macy and I are just friends." I replied, quickly. 

Joe shot me a "really" look.

"Then what-"

Before Joe could finish, Stella and Macy walked up to our table with a smile. They sat down in their usual spots. 

"Hey, you guys!" Stella greeted. 

"Hey, Stella." Joe replied, smiling. 

Good, maybe she'll keep him distracted. 

Everyone pulled out our lunches and started to dig in. I just sat there, looking around at everyone. Kevin took out his phone and started to scroll through his feed while he ate one of his snacks.

Stella and Joe were talking about their upcoming tour outfit ideas. In the corner of my eye, I saw Macy take a bite of her apple, listening to Stella's and Joe's conversation.

Me, I was lost in my thoughts. How do I tell all this to Joe? What do I tell him? What exactly is it that I'm telling him?

Macy and I are friends, that's a known fact by everyone but... when I told him that Macy and I were just friends, it sounded like a lie. Even to me. I didn't even believe myself. I guess... I really don't know how I feel about Macy and that scares me. 

"Nick?"

I looked up, locking eyes with her. 

"Are you alright?" She asked, concern written all over her face. 

"Uh, yeah." I answered with a fake smile.

I looked around the table and realized that no one was even paying attention to us. To absorbed in their own little worlds. 

"I just have a lot on my mind." I admitted to her quietly.

She frowned her brows with concern. 

"Kind of hoping we could talk about it, actually."

"Okay, let's go somewhere and talk about it?" She suggested, packing up her lunch.

I nodded and grabbed my unopened lunch. I then got up and started to follow Macy, before a group of students walked up to our table, stopping us in our tracks. It was Felicia and her followers. 

"Well, well, look what we have here."

"Felicia?" Stella perplexed. "What are you doing?"

"Just came to see something for myself. And let me just say, I'm not disappointed." She chuckled, crossing her arms. 

The girls standing around her started to giggle.

What is she on about? What is going on right now?

"Where you two off running off too?" She smirked. "Going somewhere to be - _alone?_ "

"Uh-" 

"We're-" 

Everyone at our table had a confused look, looking around at each other. The people sitting around our table started to turn around and look at the commotion that was going on.

"That's what I thought. Answer me this, Macy. How much?"

"What?" Macy asked, confused. 

"How much did you pay him?" She asked, looking straight at me. "For that little love song?"

"Love song?" I repeated, confused. 

Felicia scoffed. 

"That's you guys, correct?" She asked, holding up her phone. It was playing the video of us at the track practice. 

Since we didn't reply right away, Felicia continued. 

"You know, everyone and I mean EVERYONE has been talking about it - you guys have been spending more time together. We want to know about this little "thing" that you have going on." She explained, looking at her phone.

"So, you recorded that video, and spread it to everyone. Didn't you?" I asked, angry.

"Yes Nick. And since I'm being honest... let's _all_ be honest about this - Macy here, really isn't anything special... especially not special enough to write a song for. So how much did she pay you?" 

"Hey! That's not how it happened, Felicia." Stella cut in.

"Yeah right. How would you even know, Stella? She didn't even tell you about it... and you guys are best friends? You didn't find out until the video got shared around during second period. She was probably to embarrassed to tell you." 

"That's not true." Stella stated confidently. "Macy tells me everything!"

"Felicia, do you know how dumb you sound right now?" Joe added. 

"Yeah, no. The only dumb people here - are you guys. Let's be real. Macy has been obsessed with you guys since forever, especially Nick."

She pointed right at me with a smirk. 

"Felicia, I suggest you stop talking." Kevin snapped. 

Ignoring Kevin, she continued. 

"And before she was anything to you guys, she was your fan. Your #1 fan, correct?"

"Okay, so what? What does that have to do with anything?" Macy retorted.

"It's pretty simple Misa... I just want to know how you got Nick, one of the hottest guys in school, wait no - scratch that - one of the hottest celebrities of all time - to write you a love song? What - did - you- pay - him or better yet... what did you _offer_ him?"

"I bet it was something _really_ good." Her friend added in. They started to giggle again, causing everyone to gasp.

The colour in Macy's face drained. Everyone around us started to laugh, holding out their phones. 

"I mean.... you are his number one fan. I wouldn't put it passed you." 

"Oh my god! Felicia!" Stella exclaimed. 

I was shocked. What the hell what this girl even on? Where is she getting this information! I mean, I know she doesn't like Macy but to spread this lie, in front of the whole school. I was pissed. Really pissed. Not only is she making me look like a complete douche - but I’m also not that type of guy! She's also ruining Macy's reputation! 

My brothers, Stella and I looked right at Macy with concern. Before we could say anything to console her, she ran off, leaving everything behind. 

"Macy!"

"Macy! Wait no-"

"Look at her run! Oh my god! This is too funny!" Felicia laughed hard, holding her stomach. "It's your own fault, Macy Misa! All of it is your fault!"

All the students around us were gossiping and laughing. I heard Joe growl. Kevin looked over at Stella.

"You go after her. We'll deal with Felicia." He stated, standing up from the table and walking towards Felicia. 

Stella nodded worriedly, then started to walk through the crowd of students that were surrounding our table. 

"Nick, do something." Joe ordered. "Or I will." 

He walked over angrily to Felicia and her group.

Oh, don't you worry. I will.

I decided that the only way to get my voice to be heard was stand on top of the table. It was the only way to get everyone's attention. 

"LISTEN UP, EVERYONE!"

They all continued to chat and gossip. I huffed, now royally pissed off. I put my hands around my mouth for more volume and tried again.

"EVERYONE - SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" I yelled. 

Everyone started too finally quite down. They were all shocked that I was yelling. What do they expect? I'm a singer, I have a good set of lungs. 

"Now that I have everyone's attention... let me set the facts straight because this is BULLSHIT." I seethed, looking at Felicia. 

"FIRST OF ALL - Felicia..."

She turned away from Kevin and Joe, who was arguing with her and looked straight at me.

"You have no IDEA what you're talking about and have NO RIGHT to talk about Macy like that. Macy and I are just friends, and I wrote her that song because I wanted too! NOT because she paid me or offer to do ANYTHING for or WITH me. Macy is not that type of girl and I'm not that type of guy!"

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it. 

"You can be mad about your parent's divorce. You can be mad that your life is not the same anymore, but you have NO RIGHT to treat Macy like this because YOU'RE hurting. She is a good person and has done NOTHING wrong to you. Well, other then spit true facts about your mom."

Felicia's mouth fell open in shock. Everyone who was watching, were silent. 

"I suggest you find something more productive to do with your time, then to bully an innocent girl who HAPPENS to be one of our best friends. And for the record, it's NOT because she's our fan, it's because she's Macy and that's all we ever needed. Macy Misa is more than enough..."

 _"More than you'll ever be."_ I sneered, with venom in my voice. 

Felicia frowned. Her friends looked shocked, one of them holding onto her arm for comfort. Kevin and Joe smiled, proudly. 

"AS FOR THE REST OF YOU, I'm glad you've had your fun. But just remember, what goes around, comes around. Karma's out there, and it's coming for all of you _. Especially you._ " I finished, looking straight into Felicia's eyes.

I hopped off the table, grabbed my lunch bag and walked out of the cafeteria, not looking at anyone.

As I was walking, I could hear my brothers calling out to me. I slowed down, waiting for them. Once they caught up, we put our stuff in our lockers and started to look for Stella and Macy.

"Wow, that was like Mean girls 2." Joe joked.

"Now's not the time, Joe." Kevin scolded.

"Sorry, just trying to cut the tension here."

"Good job, bro." Kevin complimented, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks."

I pulled out my phone and dialed Macy's number.

"Damn it, Stella isn't answering her phone." Joe said, hanging up his phone with a hiss. 

"Neither is Macy." I commented, hanging up as well.

I frowned. 

"Where could they have gone?" I asked, starting to pace. 

"Anywhere, honestly." Kevin replied.

"We still have time before lunch ends, why don't we split up and find them?" Joe suggested.

I nodded, gripping my phone. 

"Don't worry Nick, we'll find her and make this right."

I sighed. I need to pull myself together. "Okay. Let's go. We don't have much time."

I then turned away from them and started to make my way to girl's bathroom. Logically, it's the first place we should look. 

"Let's text each other, if one of us finds them!" Kevin added as we split up. 

Hold on, Macy. I'm coming. We'll find you. And once we do - once I do- you and I are going to have an awfully long conversation...about all of this.


	23. favourite spot

Macy's POV

I couldn't tell where I was going. My eyes were too teary to see properly and I couldn't hear anything, other then the pounding of my heart in my chest. All I knew, is that I was running for my life. Running from the laughter, from the gossip. I was running faster then I ever have before, and that's saying something, because I'm the fastest runner on the track team. 

I couldn't be around anyone. I'm too hurt to hear what Stella has to say... or the guys. Especially Nick. Why was my life so difficult? Why does this always have to happen to me?

I decided that the only place I could go, where there was likely to be no people around, was my favourite spot-on campus. It's literally private, no one ever goes there. It's a good place for me to sit down and cry. Maybe think about the last half hour of my life. What did I do to make this happen? Did I do anything to deserve this? Does anyone?

I finally arrived at the spot and sat quietly against the ground, trying to catch my breath. I could feel the tears that were pooling in my eyes, fall down my face.

Oh my god, everything hurts. My lungs, my legs...my heart. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my head on my knees and cried. Letting it all out, because I know no one is around to hear me, anyway. 

I can't believe this happened. Everyone at school thinks I'm a slut. Everyone thinks Nick and I are sleeping together! Oh my god, Nick! His reputation is ruined and it's all because of me! I never should have become friends with the guys. It would have been easier for them that way. I should have just cut my losses. I could have just continued to follow them from a distance, like I did before. Hear about them and their accomplishments through Stella. Live out our friendships through her. It would have been enough, truly. 

The last thing I remember before taking off was Stella calling out to me... and well one of the guys did too, but I didn't even pay attention to who is it was. I just needed to get out of there and fast. While I was replaying that moment in my head, trying to figure out the voice that called out to me, I felt my phone buzz in my skirt pocket.

Sniffling, I pulled out my phone and saw Stella's caller ID, many times. So many missed calls from her and there's one from... Nick.

__

No. No. No. Getting frustrated, I tossed my phone next to me and sunk my head in my arms. Can't they see? There is nothing left to say. Nothing can fix the damage that has been done. I bet Nick hates my guts right now.

Honestly, Felicia's right. I am nothing special. This _is_ all my fault. 

* * *

Nick's POV

"Macy? Macy! Oh God, where did she go?"

Alright, so she wasn't in the music room. It was worth a shot to look there. She did say that she liked music - maybe she felt like blasting some of her favourite tunes to help her forget what happened... or maybe she likes to listen to incredibly sad music when she's upset... like I do. I don't know. All I know is that I have yet to find her, and lunch is going to be over soon. As I turned the corner, walking into another hall, I saw Stella, poking her head into a random classroom. 

"Stella? Please tell you've found her." I asked, walking up to her. She turned towards me and frowned.

"Um-"

"You haven't found her, huh?"

"Oh Nick! I've been looking for her everywhere! I checked the gym, the library, at her locker, Ms. Norton's room - she hangs in there sometimes - I checked outside. I-"

"It's okay Stella. We'll find her." I reassured, putting my hands on her shoulders. 

She let out a frustrated sigh. 

Just like Stella, I've been looking everywhere for her too. I even asked some people if they have seen her and they haven't. My brothers both texted me saying that she's definitely MIA. Where the hell could she have run off too?

"Oh god, she must be a wreck right now. The next time I see Felicia, I'm going to-"

"Listen, I know, I'm pissed off too, but right now, we need to focus on Macy. Think Stella, where - would - she - go?" I asked, shaking her shoulders a bit for emphasis. 

"Um- uh-? Oh! There was this place, that Macy took me once to help me study for this huge test I was having... Still on campus but very closed off. No one seems to hang out there." She explained quickly. 

"She calls it, "her favorite spot." She said, air quoting. "She's has to be there!" 

Her _favorite_ spot. Why did I not think of this? For once, Joe is not wrong, I am a total idiot. 

_"Give love a try, one more time.... one more time." I finished singing, setting my guitar next to me._

_I smiled and penciled in some notes into my notebook next to me. God, Penny is going to love this song!_

_"Wow, that was awesome, Nick of Jonas!"_

_I looked up in surprise. I didn't realize anyone was here, watching me._

_Well, of course. If it's going to be anyone, it's going to be Macy._

_"Macy? What are you doing here?"_

_Her smile dropped to a nervous frown._

_"Um, I came here to study. Kevin told me about this spot, he said that no one comes around here much. So, I figured it was a good spot to be alone."_

_"Oh, well...he's right. It's a great spot for some solitude. It's my favourite spot on the whole campus, actually. This where I go to write or practice my songs."_

_"Oh, wow. That make sense." She replied, bubbly._

_She smiled at me. I smiled back but I'm honestly confused on what's going to happen now. Anything goes with Macy. I'm just thankful she has no sports equipment with her._

_"Anyway, sorry to have bothered you. I'll go." She said, turning to leave._

_I was not expecting that._

_"No, Macy, wait!" I called out._

_She stopped suddenly and turned around to face me._

_"I don't own the spot. You **can** stay here if you want." I reassured, patting the ground next to me._

_"Oh- um- you sure?" She faltered._

_"Yeah." I answered honestly._

_"Thanks!" She smiled, walking over to sit next to me._

_I moved my stuff to the other side of me and made some room for her. Once she sat down, she opened up her textbooks, her notes, and pulled out a pencil. She then let out a sigh, concentrating on the text in front of her._

_I looked over my shoulder to what she was reading and smirked, letting out a low chuckle._

_"Biology? That seems so fun to read about." I joked._

_She looked at me through the corner of her eye and smirked back._

_"It is, actually." She replied sarcastically._

_I hummed back in amusement._

_"Okay. It's not. But I need to pass this test, or I won't make the basketball team this year."_

_"What? Really?" I asked, shocked._

_"Yeah. Coach's rules. My grades have been slipping a little. I haven't had much time to study lately. Too much has been going on." She sighed, turning the page in her textbook. "I never have a moment to just sit and focus on the work. You know?"_

_"Yeah, I do. Well, you can come here to study anytime you like. And I promise - if I'm here when you do - I'll try not to be too much of a distraction." I teased._

_"Don't make promises you can't keep, Nick of Jonas." She shot back, flipping some of her hair off her shoulder._

_She really is coming out of her shell, huh?_

_"It's just Nick. You **can** just call me Nick, you know?" I stated, raising an eyebrow._

_"Okay... **Nick.** I might just take you up on your offer." _

_"Naturally." I responded smiling, looking ahead of me at the scenery._

_A small silence fell between us as Macy studied, and I watched the space around me. Not bothered at all with the company I had sitting next to me._

_After sitting for a bit with her, I noticed that being around her, is not as bad as I thought it would be. I was just so use to her crazy fan girl moments, I wasn't used to the chill side of Macy, but I didn't hate it, that's for sure._

_"Hmm..." She hummed up, looking up from her text._

_"Something you read, caught your interest?" I asked, playfully._

_"No. It's just_ _\- I can definitely get used to this place. Before you know it, this place will become my favorite spot-on campus."_

_I_ _chuckled._

_"Why? Because of the silence or because of something else?" I teased. Do I really want to know the answer to that question?_

_"That's for me to know and for you to **never** find out." _

_We both laughed together, to distracted to notice that lunch was almost over._

"Nick! Wait for me!"

Without even thinking about anything else, I booked it down the hall and made my way to my favourite... well, our favourite spot. Why didn't I think that this would be the first place to look? The girl's bathroom? Come on, Lucas! You're slipping! I pulled out my phone as I was trying to make my way around the other students in the hall and shot my brother's a text. 

After what feels like forever, I finally made my way to the spot, when I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

There she was.

Legs pulled up to her chest... crying. She doesn't even notice I'm here. Aw man. Seeing her like this hurts me more then seeing her when _we_ hurt her. It's true, we did hurt her by doing what we did. But this- this is something else. This is torture seeing her like this. 

I hung my head sadly and thought about what I was going to say before getting her attention. We needed to talk, that's for sure. But how do we start? I sighed.

I decided that... there is just some things in life that you can't plan. You just have to face it head on. Here goes nothing. 

"Macy?"

She suddenly stopped crying and looked up at me, shocked. She quickly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands and started to force herself up from the ground.

"N-Nick. What-" She stuttered. 

"Macy, it's okay." I reassured while walking slowly towards her. I noticed her tensing up, as I got closer. 

"It's okay." I repeated, softly. You're okay. We're okay... I wanted to say but couldn't get the words out. 

She just stood there with her hands to her chest, breathing heavily. We locked eyes as she watched me get closer to her. I noticed as I was getting closer, she had tears in her eyes, that were threatening to fall.

Once I finally reached her, I placed my hands on both of her arms and pulled her closer to me. To be honest, I don't know why I did that... all I knew is that I wanted to be there for her. Comfort her.

I've seen Macy hurt before.... I've hurt her... made her cry. And seeing that literally ruined me. I told myself I would be a better friend to her, be there for her, understand her and her feelings. I don't understand why this happened, but... no matter the reason, I'll be the best friend I can be. I at least owe her that much. 

I eventually pulled her close enough to wrap her into a big hug. She sniffled, and thankfully didn't pull away like I thought she would. That's when she finally broke down. Like a damn breaking, letting the river flow.

As I was hugging her, I could hear her quietly sobbing as she gripped tightly at my uniform shirt. I sighed and started slowly rubbing circles on her back, hoping it will help calm her down enough, so we could talk. 

"I-I'm so sorry, Nickk." She wept. 

"Whatever for? Macy you didn't do anything wrong." I consoled. 

"You must- hate- me." She stuttered. 

"Hate you? Macy, no. I don't hate you - How could you even think that?" I replied, shocked. 

"Well, because-" 

"Macy! There you are!" 

Macy and I suddenly pulled apart and came face to face with my brothers and Stella. As they were walking towards us, Joe and Kevin caught site of Macy and frowned.

"Stella?" Macy mumbled. 

"Oh my god! Macy!" Stella cried, enveloping her in a hug. "I am so sorry this happened to you!" 

Macy just let Stella hug her tight. Not really reacting to anything that Stella was saying. Stella pulled away to get a good look at her. 

"Just look at you! You're a mess. I'm going to kill her! I'm going to-" 

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Rocky." Joe proposed. "No need to get riled up, now." 

"Yeah, we need to focus on what matters." Kevin smiled sadly, looking towards Macy. "Felicia is old news." 

I looked over at Macy, I could tell she has been crying for quite a while, even before I found her. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were stained with tears. I hate seeing her like this but... there was no way I could have prevented this. I did not see this coming at all, not this time. All I can do now, is just be there for her.

"How you are holding up, Macy?" Joe asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm better now." She responded, smiling sadly. "Thanks to you guys." 

"We got you."

We all smiled at each other when suddenly, a loud ring came out of no where. It was Stella's phone. I know that ring from anywhere. 

"Oh? Someone sent me something?" Stella said, pulling out her phone. 

While my brothers and I were talking to Macy, Stella spoke up. 

"Oh my god, guys look!" Stella called, motioning us to come closer to her. "Come here!"

We gathered around her, while she held up her phone for all of us to see. There was a video that was opened on her phone, that said "Show this to Macy", she pressed play. 

"For me?" Macy said confused.

_"Now that I have everyone's attention... let me set the facts straight because this is BULLSHIT. FIRST OF ALL - Felicia..."_

Oh, it's me? Sticking up to Felicia. Why would someone send that to Stella? Everyone was there to witness it... well, now come to think of it, not everyone. Macy and Stella weren't there.

_"You have no IDEA what you're talking about and have NO RIGHT to talk about Macy like that. Macy and I are just friends, and I wrote her that song because I wanted too! NOT because she paid me or offer to do ANYTHING for or WITH me. Macy is not that type of girl and I'm not that type of guy!"_

I looked over at Macy. She was glued to the video that was playing... but I saw a small smile come to her face.

_"You can be mad about your parent's divorce. You can be mad that your life is not the same anymore, but you have NO RIGHT to treat Macy like this because YOU'RE hurting. She is a good person and has done NOTHING wrong to you. Well, other then spit true facts about your mom."_

Stella and Macy gasped in surprise, with Macy holding a hand over her mouth. Joe chuckled. 

_"I suggest you find something more productive to do with your time, then to bully an innocent girl who HAPPENS to be one of our best friends. And for the record, it's NOT because she's our fan, it's because she's Macy and that's all we ever needed. Macy Misa is more than enough..."_

_"More than you'll ever be."_

I looked up from the video to see Macy's reaction, but she was already looking at me... with what looked like happiness in her eyes. Finally, I did something right by her! Her eyes started to tear up again, but I knew it was happy tears this time!

Stella went to close the video on her phone, but I spoke up in time.

"Wait, wait! It's not done!" I admitted.

_"AS FOR THE REST OF YOU, I'm glad you've had your fun. But just remember, what goes around, comes around. Karma's out there, and it's coming for all of you. Especially you." I finished, looking straight into Felicia's eyes._

"Ohhh man!" Joe exclaimed, pumping his fist.

"That was great, Nick. Honestly, out of the three of us, you certainly do have the best way with words." Joe chuckled, slapping my back playfully. 

"Glad you finally noticed." I teased, shrugging him off of me. "That's why I write all the number one hits, and you don't. All you do is sing them." 

"Hey! At least I can play instruments too!" Joe shot back in defence. 

We all started to laugh, enjoying the atmosphere. Kevin checked his watch as we were coming down from our laughter.

"Oh crap, guys! The bell is going to ring any minute! We should go!" Kevin directed.

We all agreed and started to make our way back to school.

Kevin was leading the way, while Stella and Joe were watching the video of me standing up to Felicia again, laughing at certain parts.

I was in the back of the group, walking pace to pace with Macy. She seemed better now, her face calmed down a bit and started to get back to normal. I looked over at her and noticed her looking down towards the ground. What is she thinking?

"Nick-"

"Macy-" 

We both said each other's names at the same time. I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck, nervously. 

She chuckled back, smiling.

"You go first." I offered.

"Okay... I just wanted to say thank you, for what you did back there." 

"Of course, Macy. Felicia needed to be put in her-"

"Not for just that. For the hug too, Nick. It really did help me feel better." She admitted, slightly blushing. "Thank you."

I blushed slightly and turned my head to look ahead of me. I couldn't look at her in the eyes. I feel so nervous now all of a sudden. 

"Well...you were crying all over my favourite spot. I had to do something." I joked, trying to cut the tension. 

She laughed. 

"Oh yes, what was I thinking? Crying my eyes out in your favourite spot, how could I?" She teased. 

I laughed, shoving my hands in my pockets. 

After that short walk back, we finally made our way back to school. Checking my watch on my wrist, I noticed the bell was literally going to ring in a minute. We all said our goodbyes to each other and as the group parted to go to our lockers, I grabbed Macy's hand, stopping her from going any further. We can't part yet without confirming that were still going to talk about this. 

"Macy, can we meet after school? I think we should at least talk about what happened today." I stressed.

I let go of her hand, now that I said what I needed to say. After a quick pause of silence, Macy spoke up, nodding.

"Yeah, you're right. Okay. Let's meet after school. How about 4? At Richardson?" Macy agreed. 

I nodded.

"4 o'clock. Richardson." I confirmed. 

"See you there, then." She said, waving goodbye. 

I waved back as I watched her start to walk to her locker. 

"See you." 


	24. so close, yet to far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys... I'm back. I know it's been a while since I posted on this story but I would just like to say a few things before you read this new chapter....
> 
> I'm honestly shocked that I got over a hundred hits on this story, not to mention, Kudos. I didn't think anyone would actually read this piece of fanfiction I created. It was more just for me. But I'm blown away and shocked at the attention that the story is getting, truly. Thanks for actually checking the story out and enjoy this chapter. The next one should be uploaded soon. 
> 
> \- Mads.

Nick's POV

I looked down at my watch. 3:55 pm. Macy should be here any minute. I took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing my tense body into the park bench. 

I can't believe today was even real. All the drama that happened, doesn't normally happen at school. At least with me anyway. Most people just steer clear from me, which I don't mind most of the time. I am not really much of a friendly guy with the rest of the student body, but I am civil with them and I guess that's enough for them to like me. I have my small group of friends and that's who I usually stick with and yes... my brothers are unfortunately included in that group. 

The only people I'm not civil with is the freaky Jonas fan girls at Horace Mantis Academy. You know...the ones who were in Macy's fan club? They got even crazier once she dropped down from being their president - they still have yet to treat me like normal human being - and now, Felicia is added to my list of people I purposely keep my distance from at school. 

Throughout the rest of the day, Felicia avoided me like the plague. She kept her distance as much as she could... we do unfortunately have some classes together. Before all this, she used to look at me a lot in class, I could always feel her eye's staring into me. And sometimes she would even come sit next to me during class and ask me to hang out or even to see if I could invite her to come along on our next tour.

She was pretty delusional. I guess she thought because she was popular, I would say yes. Uh, how about no? But now, she doesn't even look at me. She's probably upset about what I said to her. Well, she did deserve it. Or maybe she's embarrassed? Either possibility is okay with me. No one hurts my friends and get's away with it. I don't care how popular you are. 

My leg started to bounce due to my nervousness. I had no idea how this conversation was going to go. Where do we start? Well, we could start by addressing the things that Felicia said about us... Like, I don't know... about us supposedly hooking up underneath everyone noses or about how Macy apparently paid me to write that song? There was just so many lies that she said today that it's hard to figure out where to start and address them. Hopefully, Macy is more confident about having this talk then I am. Speaking of Macy... she's right on time. 

"Hey Nick, sorry for making you wait." She said with a small smile, sitting next to me on the bench with a huff.

I smiled at her and handed her the other bottle of iced tea I stole from home before leaving to come to park. I took a sip of mine. 

"Thanks, I'm pretty thirsty, actually." She chuckled, opening the bottle of iced tea. 

"I could tell. You didn't have to run here, you know? Don't you think you've done enough running for today?" I teased. 

She scoffed playfully. 

"I didn't want to be late. We agreed on 4." She reminded, poking me on the arm. "Plus, I love to run." 

"Yeah well, only crazy people love to run." I joked, taking another drink of my iced tea. 

"Are you calling me crazy, Lucas?" She questioned, crossing her arms with a smirk. 

"Maybe." 

"Well, fine. Call me crazy then. But it better be the good kind of crazy." She threatened playfully. 

"It is." I reassured, laughing. "Don't worry." 

She smiled brightly at me, and I smiled back. As we sat there, smiling at each other, we locked eyes, then her smile fell, and she turned to look down at her shoes. Finally snapping out of it, I cleared my throat but didn't say anything else. Now noticing that our playful banter had stopped, it was time to do what we came here for. Come on, Lucas! Say something!

"So, uh- Macy." I started, scratching the back of my head. 

"Nick. Can I start?" She asked, turning slightly towards me. 

I nodded. 

"First off, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"Macy?" I spoke up. 

"Let me finish, please." She asked, holding her hand up, stopping me from speaking. I sat there and waited for her to continue. 

"I wanted to apologize because I know how hard this situation must have been for you."

Me? Hard for me? Does she forget who this was targeted too? 

"You are a chill guy, Nick, who is not the most interested with conflict or any kind of encounter with anyone at school, really. You've always been the quite one who never really stuck their nose into anyone business. And the fact that you have to stick up for me and address all those rumours about yourself. I - I feel terrible about that." 

"Macy-" 

"I'm not done." She stated plainly. I just stared blankly at her. 

"It's just - I sometimes wish that I learned to be your friend from a distance, you know? Then you and your brothers wouldn't have to deal with things like this." She said sadly, looking down at her folded hands. "It would probably be much easier for everyone if I just kept my distance from- " 

"Macy. Let me just stop you right there." I said, slightly annoyed. "What on earth made you think that's what we want? You can't make that decision for us."

She looked up at me with shocked eyes. 

"My brothers and I love having you around. It's honestly our new normal. Do you know how hard it was for m-uh us to sit at our usual table, during your lunch practices and not have you there next to me? All of us sitting together... it felt off and wrong. Like a part of our group was missing." 

She smiled slightly, pushing some hair behind her ear. 

"Joe honestly adores you. The fact that you can handle his jokes and also help him with Stella when he's stuck on what to do or what he did to upset her. You’re literally his saving grace."

She chuckled. 

"And Kevin - who else is going to geek out with him about all his favourite TV shows and about tiny little animals." 

She smiled, showing teeth this time. 

"And as for me sticking up for you? That wasn't hard to do at all. Because... I know you'd do the same for me. Right?"

"Of course."

She smiled lightly as I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Macy, I know we've only grown close over these past few months, but I can honestly say that you're one of my best friends and no matter what, I've got your back. Yes, although those rumours were also about me... It didn't phase me because I knew they weren't true. And you knew that too but, of course everyone thought otherwise - no thanks to Felicia."

She nodded, looking back down at the ground. 

"But I knew you..."

She suddenly looked up at me, her eyes getting teary.

"I knew those comments hurt you. I know because I've seen your face look like that before.... when my brothers and I..."

We continued to lock eyes, holding it for a few seconds. She then smiled sadly at me. I shook my head, shaking away the guilty feeling that was growing in my stomach and getting back to my point. 

"And what angered me the most was the fact that Felicia felt the need to ruin your reputation just because she's jealous of _our_ friendship." 

"Nick-" 

"And I don't care how popular she is. I wasn't going to let her get away with spreading all those nasty things about you. No _way._ " I finished, taking my hand off her shoulder.

"But Nick - what about those rumours about us... you know- it was terrible that she said those things! What about _your_ reputation? You're Nick Lucas- 1/3 of JONAS!"

"Exactly. Macy, I'm used to rumours like that being spread about me. You do remember that I live in the spotlight from time to time, right? And you and I both know the type of rumours that would be spread about me and my brothers." 

She nodded, understanding.

"So, don't worry about me. Honestly. All I care about - is you." 

I felt my stomach flip, but I could feel this weight lift off me. I've been wanting to tell her this for a while. Tell her that I cared about her and would do anything for her. I just want to make the wrong I did between us, right. 

Macy sat there with a slightly shocked face. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly closed it. 

"Macy. Seriously. Don't _ever_ say that you're going to leave me - us again." I scolded, crossing my arms. "Promise me."

"Okay Nick, I promise." She replied, shyly. 

I smiled and let out a breath. Glad that was out of the way. I'm happy we were able to talk about all this. It would have really upset me if Macy started to distance herself from me and my brothers. We just got Macy into our circle! I would have hated not having her around anymore because of this stupid act Felicia put on.

Plus, I'm glad Macy is comfortable enough to open up to me about how she was feeling. I knew that ever since she opened up to me about her dad, she was comfortable to tell me anything that's bothering her. I'm glad we're at that stage in our friendship now but it doesn't hurt to remind her. 

"Hey and Macy?" 

"Yeah, Nick?" She replied, while watching the couple who were sitting across from us on the other bench.

"I just want you to know if something is ever bothering you... don't be afraid to tell me. I'm really glad you told me about how you were feeling about all this."

She turned her head back and looked at me. 

"I know, Nick. You know, I feel like ever since I told you about my Dad...I feel like I can trust you and tell you anything. It feels good." She admitted, smiling. "Oh, and if it wasn't clear already... the same goes for you too."

"I know, Macy. I know." 

I did. I really did know, I knew I could all this time, come to her if I needed her. Be her friend and her be mine. I just wish I did it sooner. 

"See you tomorrow, Mace."

"Have a good night, Nick." She said, waving bye with a smile. 

I stood there and waved back, while watching her shut the door to her house. I then let out a long sigh and decided now was a great time to start walking home. I didn't mind that I had to walk home actually, it gave me the perfect opportunity to think.

The first thought that came to my mind was... why did all this happen? And I just don't mean Felicia.... I mean me and Macy. Over the course of a few months, I gained a new best friend. Literally. I'm not complaining, honestly. I just don't get how this suddenly happened and well... better yet, why it didn't happen before?

I knew Macy and I weren't close before because of her obsessive behaviour but... I feel like if I spent more time with her, she would have gotten over the fact that I was famous. Right? And we would have became friends like we are now.

I guess the reason why I'm thinking about this is because - I have a lot of regret when it comes to Macy. I wish I became close to Macy sooner. We literally lost so much time. Before you know it, Macy and I will be graduating and possibly going into higher education or me - being a full-time musician.

But most of all, I regret that it took me hurting her, to finally see her.

Macy is... everything. She's talented at sports, with her studies. She's funny, bubbly, charismatic. She's passionate and definitely a great friend. And when I'm with her... she makes me feel different then I normally do. She makes me feel happier and more carefree.

I have a lot of fun when we spend time together. I don't feel so stuck in my own bubble when I'm with her, you know? She makes me feel all of these types of feelings that I can't name ... but I guess the one thing I could admit is that - I am very fond of her. If anyone hurts Macy - they'll have to deal with me. If anyone makes her cry - they'll have to deal with me. I want to be there for her, whenever she needs someone. I want to protect her, and I just really want to make her happy. Like she makes me.

And I know what you're thinking...I know that I fall for girls easy. Penny is a great example of that. And in the end, I got hurt and used. I felt so strongly for hard for her because she everything I thought I liked in a girl. She was pretty and could sing or was at least musically inclined. But in the end, she wasn't the girl for me. 

I told myself that the next girl I fall for, it was going to be different. I was going to take my time, get to know them - get to know their passions and their flaws and love everything about them. And... I feel like I did that with Macy. And over the course of everything we've been through, I can actually say that I like her. 

I finally made it to my house, but I stopped abruptly in front of the door, clutching my bottle of Iced tea. I started to repeat the last thing I thought in my head. It didn't sit right with me.

I like Macy - she's my best friend, she's… I like her? I - like her... Oh my god, Joe was right. I like-like her. I have feelings for Macy!

I ran a hand through my hair, messing up the curls.

That's what these feelings mean! I - I don't just care for her as a friend. I'm in love with her! Real, true love! I'm in love with Macy Misa!

I smiled widely and started to feel my face heat up. I rubbed my face, trying to make my blush go away. I didn't want to walk into the house and be bombarded with questions about why I was blushing. I knew my brothers were home from school doing god knows what. I cleared my throat, opened the door and walked into the kitchen, silently praying in my head that my blush went away before I met up with my brothers. 

“Sup, Nick?”

“Hey, bro.”

“What’s up guys?”

“Just beating Kevin’s butt in Mario cart!”

“Hey! It’s only because he’s cheating!”

“I’m not! It’s not my fault I keep getting the banana peel!”

I shook my head, chuckled and made my way upstairs to our room. I let out a breath, happy that my brothers were too occupied to notice how red my face was. I lifted up the drums off my bed and jumped onto it. I needed to figure this all out.

Okay, so I came to the realization that I have feelings for Macy. But I honestly don’t know if she feels the same way. Well, if she ever could feel the same way, again.

Macy used to be in love with me, but it was a different type of love. She loved the fact that I played in a band and wrote and preformed music. She might have just liked me for my looks, like most of our fans. But now, Macy and I are friends and she’s seen the real me. The real Nick Lucas. And honestly today, I had to convince her not to distance herself from me. She wanted to pull away. She didn’t feel that she was worthy of being in our circle!

I let out a long sigh, reaching over to grab my acoustic sitting next to me. I started strumming and plucking at the strings. Shaking my head, I came to a decision. I like Macy. A lot. but I’m not going to try to get to fall for me. Especially since we just because close friends.

If she’s comfortable just being friends, I’ll have to respect that. I’ll admit, I would love to be with her romantically. But I would rather be just friends with Macy then make her feel uncomfortable and stop hanging around with me and my brothers.

I've decided that having her in my life how she is now - as my friend… is more than enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you're anything like me - you're obsessed with the Jonas Brothers again and continue feeling the nostalgia reading fanfiction about them or their show. I feel ya on that one... I would just really love some feedback/comments on the story. I have the whole story planned out but I would love to hear what you guys think so far lol. 
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	25. shopping my troubles away

Macy's POV

I shut my front door with a content sigh and made my way into the kitchen to grab a snack. I was pretty hungry after walking home with Nick. I could smell all the amazing aroma’s the restaurants near my house were cooking up for dinner. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, and dialed my mom’s number, after a few rings, she picked up.

 **“Hey Macy, just got home?”** Mom asked.

I walked over to my fridge and pulled out the juice and then a cup in the cupboard.

“Yeah, I was wondering what you were in the mood to eat for dinner?” I asked, closing the fridge door.

 **“Well, I was going to suggest takeout since I’ll be working pretty late tonight. Why don’t you invite some friends over and order a pizza or something? I left money on my dresser in my room.”** She explained casually.

“Okay. I’ll see if Stella is not busy.” I thought out loud. “But what about Liam? Where did he go anyway? Before I left to go see Nick, he was home?”

**“Michael’s mom called me and asked if him and Liam can have a sleep over.”**

“Michael? Really?” I asked, surprised. “That’s pretty shocking.”

 **“Yeah, I know right? So, I said sure. The kid is lonely at home by himself.** ” She said sadly.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’re fine. Just focus on getting the store done and we’ll be all set.” I reassured. “I’ll let you go though.”

**“I know and okay. Love you honey.”**

“Love you too, bye.” I replied, then hanging up.

Once my phone went back to normal, I pulled up Stella’s number and let it dial. She literally picked up on the first ring.

 **“Hey girl!”** She greeted. **“How’s life?”**

“Hey!” I chuckled. “Pretty good. Just hanging here at home. Alone. Wanna do something?”

 **“Sure, my aunt is out like all day.”** She laughed. **“What do you have in mind?”**

“Maybe hit the mall?” I suggested, shrugging my shoulders.

 **“Uh, duh. I’m on my way, be there in 10!”** She confirmed.

“See ya soon.” I smiled, hanging up the phone.

While I was waiting, I decided to make some smoothies for us. I pulled out some fruit from the fridge and my mom’s famous blender. I cut up the fruit, added some vanilla ice cream and blended it together. I was then pouring them into glasses and as I was about to add the last straw, I heard a knock at my door. With my smoothie in one hand, I went and opened the door.

“Hey! Oh, yum! Please tell me you have one for me!”

I chuckled, nodding my head. Stella walked in, dropped her purse, kicked off her shoes and walked straight to the kitchen. I closed the door behind her and took a sip of my smoothie, following behind. She grabbed the cup off the counter, adding a straw, then took a sip.

“Mmmmm! You are seriously good at this.” She complimented, taking another long sip.

“Thanks. I’ve had a lot of practice. My mom makes me make smoothies at the shop and we sell them to customers as they shop around. Anything to make a quick buck, I guess.” I shrugged, setting my cup down into the sink.

“Speaking of your mom….”

“Out - at the shop again.” I answered plainly. “But I did get to call her.”

“Well, we can do something fun today! You said you wanted to hit the mall, right?” She reminded, setting her empty cup down into my sink.

“Yeah, maybe do some shopping. The weather is getting super nice and I would love for some new summer outfits.” I said excitedly. “And you’ll be the perfect person to help me out.” 

“Okay! I’m so ready for this! Let’s go!” She said, grabbing my wrist and pulling to the front door. “Maybe while we’re there, we can pick up some sushi for dinner.”

“Okay.” I smiled, grabbing my purse - making sure my phone and wallet was in there. “Wait, my mom left some money on her dresser for me, be right back!”

Stella smiled at me and bent down to get on her shoes. I then came back, got my shoes on and started to walk outside with Stella. After locking the door, Stella and I walked to the closest bus stop.

Once we got onto the bus, we sat and gossiped about everything, even the boys.

“So, I’ve been curious. How did the talk go with Nick today?” Stella asked, while reapplying her lip gloss in front of her little mirror.

“How did you know we hung out and talked?” I asked curiously.

“Joe - he tells me everything.”

I nodded, understanding. Joe must have asked Nick where he was going after school. That makes sense. I can’t see why Nick would lie to Joe about leaving to go hang with me and about having a talk about what happened with Felicia.

“It went good actually. We talked about everything.” I replied, smiling.

“So, you guys are good still, right?” She questioned, putting the cap back on her lip gloss.

“Yeah. Still friends.” I answered honestly.

Stella smiled brightly at me then started to text on her phone. I then started to look out the window of the bus.

To be completely honest… that whole conversation with Nick helped me realize something. Nick and I are not just friends - I feel that there is something more there.

I know, at this very moment, both Nick and I see each other as best friends. But I feel like Nick and I - our friendship runs deeper than any normal friendship between two people. And I’m not saying this because I used to be obsessed with him.

I don’t know how to explain it. All I know is that ever since that moment when he hugged me tight while I was crying into his expensive uniform shirt. I knew that my feelings for Nick had changed.

Looking back at the very beginning from when our friendship started to blossom… I’ve come to realize that I’ve been slowly falling in love with him. But part of me also knows that it’s a lost cause.

I mean, Nick obviously cares about me. That much I know. And I also know that it’ll never be more than just as a friend. Nick has never seen me that way and probably never will. And I respect that.

I’m not surprised that I fell in love with him. I mean come on; Nick is everything. He’s smart, incredibly cute, TALENTED, and a really great friend and I’m lucky, just to have him as that in my life. Him and his brothers.

I don’t want to scare him away either. I would rather have him as a friend then as nothing at all. Although, I would love to be with him romantically, having Nick in my life as he is now - as a friend… is more than enough for me.

I snapped out of my thoughts, upon hearing Stella call my name and shaking my shoulder.

“Hey, Macy! We’re almost there. You okay?”

**_“NEXT STOP: MCMASTER MALL - PLEASE BE READY IF THIS IS YOUR STOP.”_ **

“Yeah, yeah. Just thinking.” I answered reassuringly. “Thanks.”

Next thing we knew, the bus was stopping at the mall. Stella and I got off the bus and started walking towards the entrance of the mall, but before we walked through the doors, Stella stopped me by placing her hand on my shoulder.

“Macy, wait…are you sure everything is okay? You seem pretty quiet.” She asked, worriedly.

“Yes, Stella. Everything is fine.” I replied, grabbing her hand on my shoulder.

“You sure? Is it about Felicia?” She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Felicia is old news.” I laughed, remembering what Kevin said.

Stella raised an eyebrow at me.

“You know, you can tell me anything, right? If anything is bothering you, right?” She prodded.

Where have I head this before? I smiled, nodding my head.

“Stella. Everything is fine. Honest.” I replied, crossing my arms across my chest.

I know she is worried about me but honestly, I’m fine. I have gone through worse, so I can get through this too. This unrequited love. My non-existent love life. I’ll be fine. As along as I have Stella and my family around. That’s all I ever needed.

“Okay, I believe you.” She said, smiling. “Now, let’s go shopping!”

She hooked her arm around mine with a giggle and started dragging me into the mall. We both started to giggle as we walked into the first store. 

Finally! Less talking, and more shopping. 


	26. that's my boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanted to say a quick hello and I hope everyone is safe! Because of this Corona Virus/Covid 19 going around, I have been currently laid off a work for 3 weeks. YAY FUN. Trying to get on unemployment sucks.
> 
> Anyways, now this gives me time to work on this story since I can't really leave my house. I don't know how far I will get but I will be working on it. 
> 
> This chapter is about Kevin and Danielle and how they met. I kept it close as possible to their real lives... but instead of meeting on vaca, they met some other way. You'll have to read to find out. It was surprisingly easier to write them then all of other couples in this story. Kevin and Dani are just chill like that. I ship them and their love story and really dig their vibe as a couple.

Kevin’s POV

“Kevin, dude! You seriously need to cut your hair!”

“For once, I agree with Joe. You really do need to cut your hair.”

I frowned, dropping my magazine on the coffee table in front of me. My brothers and I were spending our Friday, chilling in our room. I was reading my favorite guitar illustrated, Nick was writing lyrics in his famous notebook - what else is new? and Joe walked into our room with his hair all wet. He must of just took a shower.

“Why should I? You guys are just jealous of my curly locks.” I scoffed, crossing my arms.

“Uh, no we’re not.” Joe shot back, placing his hands on his hips. “It’s just gross!”

“Gross! What do you mean? I wash my hair all the time!” I snapped back, offended.

“Exactly. Do you know how much hair you shed? It’s more than me and Joe put together. It’s stuck all over the shower.” Nick stated, shaking his head. “Just get it cut.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll get it cut.” I surrendered.

“Great and clean out the drain while you’re at it.” Joe added, walking to the fire pole to slide down.

“Ew, gross.” Nick shuddered at the visual.

“Tell me about it. That why I make Dad do it.” I admitted. 

“Of course, you do.” Joe laughed, finally sliding down the pole.

Nick shook his head in amusement, getting back to writing his lyrics.

I then started to rub my chin in thought. Where should I go to get it cut? Should I go see the barber Dad takes us to? Or go somewhere else? I know! I'll ask Mom!

I then got up from my seat, walked to the pole and slid downstairs. Once I landed, I walked straight into the kitchen, expecting to find her there. The last time I seen her, she was in the kitchen, cleaning. The minute I realized she was gone; I grabbed my phone from off the kitchen table and searched through my contacts. Once I found mom's number, I clicked dial. It rang about three times before she answered. 

**_“Hello?”_ **

“Hey Mom, weren’t you just home?” I asked confused, walking to the kitchen to get a drink. She was literally just in here!

 ** _“Oh, sorry honey. I had to step out for a bit. What’s up?”_** She replied.

“Do you know any good hair salons where I could go get my hair cut?” I asked, slightly embarrassed.

 ** _“Your brothers finally snapped, huh?”_** She let out sheepishly.

“Is it really that bad?” I queried, slightly upset.

**_“Oh honey, I’m sorry. You’re Dad and I didn’t have the heart to tell you. We all know how much you love your hair.”_ **

I sighed.

“Well, that’s very kind of you guys but I think I should do the right thing here and cut my hair.” I chuckled.

 ** _“That’s my boy.”_** She praised.

I smiled, finishing my glass of juice.

 ** _“You can go to the place where you Dad goes, or you can hit up my salon?”_** She suggested. ** _“Both places are really good.”_**

“How about yours, Mom? I’m sure they’ll know how to cut my curly hair better then Dad’s barber.” I decided.

 ** _“Okay, I’ll text you the address. Tell them you’re my son. They’ll take good care of you.”_** She stated.

“Uh, mom. What would I do without you? Thanks.”

**_“Aw, Kevin. I’m flattered. But seriously, go get you hair cut.”_ **

I chuckled, grabbing my wallet off the kitchen table and my keys.

“I will. Bye mom.”

_**“Bye!”**_

The bell on the door rang as I walked into the salon nervously. I was playing with my car keys in my hand, as I walked up to the front desk. There was a young girl, probably no younger than me sitting there, talking onto the phone.

“3:00, next Tuesday? Yes, we have that spot open. I can pencil you in. Perfect. You as well, goodbye.”

She then hung up the phone, wrote something down and then looked up at me with a smile.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

“Hi… um, I’m not sure if you guys take walk ins or if I should have called but…”

“No, we take walk ins. So, back to my previous question, how can I help you?” She giggled.

“If it’s not completely obvious already, I’m in need of hair cut.” I joked, rubbing the back of my head.

“Well, you came to the right place. Anywhere else, I’m sure they would have cut through those wonderful curls.” She stated, hopping of her chair.

She started walking, motioning me to follow her towards an empty chair.

“I know! That’s why my mom suggested this place to me.” I laughed, sitting down into the chair.

She grabbed a cape and put it around my shoulders.

“Who’s your mom if you don’t mind me asking?” She asked, buttoning up the cape.

“Oh, uh Sandy Lucas.”

“Oh, I love your mom! She’s such a sweet lady. Comes in here often, actually.” She beamed, walking around the chair to stand next to me.

“Thanks! She is pretty awesome.” I agreed with a smile.

She smiled brightly at me.

“Well, my mom will be cutting your hair, she’s almost done with that client, then you’ll be next.” She explained, pointing towards her mom who was working on cutting someone’s hair.

“Perfect, thanks so much.” I smiled, reaching out to scratch my nose. It was suddenly itchy.

She laughed.

“Here, let me. You have some hair on your face.” She suggested. “I know the feeling quite well.”

She then used her fingers to brush under my eye, close to my nose to remove the hair.

“Better?”

I could feel myself start to blush. Her hands were so soft. I could only nod. She smiled at me again but then turned her attention towards her mom, who was walking right towards us.

“Hello.”

“Mom, this is…I'm sorry. I never got your name. What’s your name?” She asked, looking back at me.

“K-kev Lucas.”

“Lucas? Oh, you must be Sandy’s son.” She laughed. “She called me, letting me know that one of her sons was stopping by for a hair cut.”

She then stood behind me and moved the chair to be exactly in the center, then started to pump the chair up a few times. But before I could say anything else, her cellphone started to ring.

“Sorry, do you mind?”

“Not at all.” I answered, earnestly. She stepped away for a moment, talked for a bit then hung up. She then motioned for the young girl to come next to her.

“Dani, I have a client coming in with a hair emergency. Do you think you can take over here?” She asked, nodding her head towards me.

I gulped.

“Oh, okay mom. If you insist.” She smiled, nervously.

“I trust you’ll do a good job.” She smiled, placing her hand on her shoulder. They both then walked up towards me.

“So, unfortunately, I won’t be able to cut your hair today. But my daughter here, Dani - will take over for me.” She explained with a smile. “Don't you worry! She is an excellent stylist." 

“Oh uh- okay.” I stuttered. “No problem.”

“Thank you so much for your patience.” Her mom added.

I watched her as she walked towards a room at the back of the salon. Oh god, this cute girl is going to cut my hair. I'm going to be such a dork talking to her, I know I am... I'm-

“So..."

I turned my head back to look at Dani, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Let’s cut your hair.” 

We looked at each other for a split second and smiled before she started to move towards the tools. She grabbed a comb, a pair of scissors, then grabbed a spray bottle and started to spray my hair, to make it wet. As she was spraying, she got a little water on my face, and I laughed.

“Sorry.” She chuckled, wiping it away with a dry cloth.

“It’s okay. So... is Dani short for something or?” I asked, while she combed my hair back.

“Yeah. Danielle.” She replied, with a smile. “What about you _, Kev?_ ”

I chuckled.

“It’s short for Kevin.” I stated.

“Well, nice to meet you, Kevin.” She smiled.

“You as well, Danielle.” I smiled back.

I could definitely feel myself blush now. She was so sweet and pretty and well, so gentle with how she’s cutting my hair. I could honestly fall asleep. If she noticed my blush, she didn’t say anything. Thank god.

“So, are we just doing a trim or a good cut?” She asked, walking around the chair, brushing out my hair.

“Probably a good cut. I don’t think my brothers can take much more of my hair being this long.” I joked.

“Your siblings didn’t approve of your curls?” She teased. “How could they not?”

“No! They said it was too long and gross. You don’t think my hair is gross, right?” I asked, honestly.

“No, not at all. You have very nice hair... for a guy.” She complimented. 

“Thanks.” I replied. I then cleared my throat, trying hard not to blush again.

“I know how you feel actually, I have younger siblings myself. Two sisters and a brother.” She said, parting my hair down the middle.

“Yikes. I have three younger brothers. Two of them are closer to me in age, though.” I explained with a smile.

“At least you have that going for you.” She laughed.

“Yeah, they’re alright. We play in a band together.” I confessed.

“A band? What’s it called?” She asked, lifting up the first section of hair to cut it.

“JONAS.” I answered, sheepishly.

“Oh, I heard of you guys! My friend loves your band.” She laughed, as she continued to cut my hair. “I don’t really know much about your music, but I heard it’s good.”

“Oh, cool. If you want, maybe I can get you some tickets for our next tour.” I suggested. “Maybe you and friend can come out to a show?”

“Really?” She asked, slightly surprised.

“Yeah, it's no problem. All I need is your contact info. My dad can send them to you guys once the tour is ready.”

She then gave me a look like she didn’t believe me.

“I promise.” I laughed.

“Okay, Thanks! She’d love that!” She said with a smile.

“What about you?” I teased. “Would _you_ love that?”

Oh my god! Did I just flirt with her?? She raised an eyebrow at me, smirking.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see what all the hype’s about.” She teased back.

She then started to really focus on cutting my hair. I could feel this weight lift off my head as she was cutting. I must have had a lot of hair on my head. As she was cutting my hair, we were talking about which schools we go to, our hobbies, our favorite TV shows - we watch a lot of the same shows on Netflix - about our families, what our parents did for a living. We even talked a little bit about my mom. I guess her and Danielle are pretty close. After cutting my hair, she styled it and blow dried it for me.

“Alright, you’re all set.” She said, taking off the cape around my neck.

“Thanks so much! I really like it.” I said, crunching up my curls while looking in the mirror. 

“Yeah, I did alright.” She laughed.

“You did great. Thank you.” I said, looking over at her. She smiled shyly. 

I then looked down at the ground. Wow, that’s a lot of hair.

“Yeah, um- why don’t I sweep this up quick?” She smiled, walking over to get a broom.

After she swept up, I hopped off the chair, pulled out my wallet from my pocket and walked over to the front desk.

“That’ll be $28.99.” She said, punching it in the register.

“Debit?”

“Sure.”

She grabbed the machine, pressed on some buttons, then handed me the debit machine. I quickly paid and handed back the machine. She then started to rip off the receipts, but before she handed me the customer copy, she grabbed a pen and wrote something on the back of the paper. She then handed it to me with a smile. I looked down at the receipt and saw her name and number written on the back.

“For the tickets you promised.” She teased.

I blushed.

“Uh- yeah. It’s a date- uh deal. Deal.” I stuttered out nervously.

She laughed and we locked eyes for a moment. I felt my face really blush now but before I could say anything else, the sound of someone walking into the salon snapped us out of it. That damn bell! 

“I- uh should get going. I’ll text you?”

“Okay.”

Slowly, I started walking backwards towards the door. I didn't want to stop looking at her. But as I was walking back, the customer that just entered, started to walk up behind me to come to the front desk. And since I wasn’t watching where I was going, I lightly bumped into them. An elderly lady to boot! 

“Sorry, Miss!” I yelped.

I looked back at Dani and saw her trying not to giggle, using a hand to cover her laugh. 

“That’s alright, young man.”

"Have a great day." I said to the old lady. 

"You as well." 

I chuckled nervously and finally made my way out of the salon. As I got onto the street, I let out a long breath. Wow, that was embarrassing. I then pulled out my phone from my pocket and added Danielle’s contact info into my phone. But before I put my phone back into my pocket, I sent her a text.

I smiled brightly down at my phone then made my way to my car to go home.

While driving home, I couldn't stop smiling. I was in such a good mood. I even blasted the radio. When I finally got back home, I saw my brothers and my mom in the kitchen. Both Nick and Joe were sitting at the island, eating a bowl of cereal. My mom was rolling out some cookie dough - yummy cookies! and Frankie was laying on the couch with a comic book in his hands. 

"Hey guys! I'm back!" I said with a smile. I moved towards the empty chair and took a seat down next to Nick. 

"Woah, honey! I love your hair cut!" Mom beamed. 

"Thanks mom." 

"Well, what do you think guys?" I asked, turning towards my brothers with a raised eyebrow.

"Much better, dude." Joe said, with a mouth full of cereal.

"I second that." Nick added, raising his spoon in the air. 

"Cool." I smiled brightly.

I then got up off of the stool and walked over to my mom, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. 

"Oh - well, what was that for?" Mom laughed, wiping flour off my face. 

I laughed. She doesn't know it yet, but she helped me find my future girlfriend. 

"Just because."

"No, it's because you're making cookies, mom. Don't lie Kev." Nick teased, finishing his bowl of cereal. 

"Okay, that too."

Mom smiled. 

"What's got you all smiley?" Joe asked, dropping his spoon in his now empty bowl, raising his eyebrows at me. 

"I think it's because he took 10 pounds of hair off his head." Nick suggested. "He's just in a good mood." 

"Yeah, that's probably why. At least we'll have a clean shower for a while..." Joe chuckled.

"True, but I bet Dad will still have to unclog the drain though..." Nick added, laughing. 

"Hey! You know what! That's it! -" 

Nick and Joe both looked at each other, laughing and booked it up the stairs, leaving their empty bowls on the counter.

"I'll show you what's so funny! Get back here!"

I started to chase them up the stairs, finally ready to let them have it and as I was running up the stairs, I heard my mom mutter to herself...

"That's my boys." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. The hits and kudos are very much appreciated. It's what really keeps me from not quitting this story. I love that I am getting some sort of feedback! Someone actually bookmarked this story! Can you believe it???? 
> 
> Anyway, if you're feeling generous, maybe leave a comment too! If not, that's cool too. I'm just glad you're reading my story at all.


	27. monday, june 14th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Back at it again with another chapter to this story. But before we get to the chapter, I have something to announce. 
> 
> So, unfortunately or fortunately.... I don't really know how to look at it? I will not be returning back to work for a while. I honestly don't know when. So much for it only being three weeks. Thanks convid 19. 
> 
> I guess now it gives me more time to work on this story. But I did take a short break from writing. I told myself that I would write the next chapter when the story hit 200 hits. And it did so, here I am! 
> 
> P.s - There is dialogue in this chapter that is related to a novel/movie - can you guess which one it is? 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! Next one should be coming soon!

Nick's POV

Ah, Mondays. Literally the worst day of the week. Well, in my opinion. Joe would probably say Sunday is the worst day. Kevin - probably Tuesday. Still to early in the week and still not close enough to the middle of the week. But regardless of all that, Monday's definitely suck. All I know is that I'm excited that the school year is finally coming to an end. 2 more weeks until total freedom, well... for a few days until July 1st.

Did I mention that's when Dad plans for us to leave for our summer tour! It's going to be crazy! He didn't tell us yet but, I did overhear him talking about it on the phone in his office. I can't wait when he announces it to my brothers. I don't want to go against my Dad and tell them. He worked really hard on getting this tour ready, so he should be the one to let us know. 

I sighed contently, walking up to my locker. I just finished second period and was at my locker, putting away my things. I put in the pass code and got my locker opened easily. I put my books in my locker and grabbed my packed lunch. Normally, Joe and Kevin show up to our lockers, right after I do. While waiting for the guys, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pressed the lock button to check the time. But instead of checking the time, I was staring at my lock screen.

It was a photo me and Macy at the park. We were walking next to each other, while Macy held a red rubber ball. My brothers and I were bored and invited the girls to come to the park with us to play kick ball. It was our favorite game growing up. We even got some ice cream after. Stella took the pic and sent it to me. In fact, she took all the pictures of us that day. She's not really athletic, what else was she to do? I'm glad she took them because I was having too much fun to stop and take one with Macy. You know how competitive we both are. I smiled brightly down at my phone.

Hmm, come to think of it, I haven't completely hated this past school year. It started off the same as last year but during the middle of the school year, that's when that fiasco happened with Macy. But after all that blew over, Macy became part of our JONAS gang and well, I love it. Something - in my opinion, that should have happened a long time ago. Oh well. 

Macy has gotten close to all of us over the last few months, but Macy and I are the closest. We hang out all the time. After school, during school, during our breaks between classes, at lunch time. I even go to her house on occasion and hang out there. Her mom is still really nice to me, she makes amazing dinners. I also have been playing video games with her younger brother. That's literally the only time he speaks to me.

Macy has become the first person I say good morning to and the first one I say goodnight to. When we don't see each other in person, we text and call each other all the time. The best is when we send each other memes. Macy has the best sense of humor. She claims to be the reason I've come out of my shell. Well, she's not wrong.

Macy even has been helping me with my songs when I get stuck. Damn writers block. I've also still been teaching her how to play guitar, she's getting really good at it. And I have yet to miss a game of hers, in any sport. All in all, Macy has become my best friend and this school year hasn't been so bad. In fact, this has been the best one yet. 

"Hello! Earth to Nick!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and became face to face with Joe. He smirked and walked over to me, opening his locker to grab his lunch. 

"Oh! Hey Joe, Kevin." 

"You alright Nick? We called your name like three times on our way over here." Kevin asked with a raised eyebrow, while opening his locker. 

"Really?" I asked, confused. "Yeah, I'm fine." 

"Okay. It's just you kept staring at your phone, smiling. It was pretty creepy, actually." Joe chuckled while he closed his locker. 

"I'm fine." I repeated, annoyed. 

Joe laughed and put an arm around my shoulders. I narrowed my eyes at him and shoved my phone back into my pocket. 

"Whatever you say, bro."

Kevin smiled knowingly and closed his locker.

"Anyway, let's go!" Joe said, making his way towards the cafeteria. "Shouldn't keep Stella waiting!" He added, dragging me along with him. 

I rolled my eyes, and started to walk with him, leaving Kevin to follow behind us.

_"I can't wait for the dance this Friday! I'm so excited!"_

_"Me too, Stells."_

_"So, what are you going to wear?"_

_"Oh, um... I'm not sure."_

_"Okay well, I can help you find a dress!"_

_"Of course, you will."_

_"Ha ha. Well, I am the best stylist in this school."_

_"Yeah, the only stylist."_

_"Anyway, has anyone asked you yet?"_

"Asked her what?" I asked. 

My brothers and I finally made it to our usual table. Joe sat next to Stella, Kevin sat next to Joe and I sat on the other side of Macy. Stella and Macy were already there, waiting for us. 

"Oh, hey guys!" Stella beamed, looking over at us.

Macy waved to us with a smile. I smiled back. It hasn't been that long since I've seen her. We share 2nd period together. 

"I was just asking Macy here, if she got asked to the dance yet."

I looked over at Macy, curious on hearing her reply. I guess I wanted to know if she did get ask yet or not. Instead of answering right away, Macy looked over to me and we locked eyes. We held our gaze for a few seconds before Joe spoke up, knocking us out of our gaze, by asking the stupidest question I ever heard. 

"What dance?" Joe asked before taking a bite of his sandwich. 

Stella scoffed. 

"Please tell me that was a joke, Joe." 

"Uhh-"

"Joe! They've been talking about this dance for the past 3 weeks! The end of the school year dance! I've even been helping out with the planning, for crying out loud!" She exclaimed.

Kevin snorted. 

"Oh yeah! That's why you couldn't help me with my math homework the other day!"

Stella groaned, covering her face with her hands. 

"So, you have to have dates?" I asked, changing the subject. 

"Well, yeah. Unless you wanna show up to the dance alone." Stella laughed. 

"Um-" Macy spoke up.

We all turned our attention to Macy. That always happens when she speaks up. She started to blush lightly and turned to Stella. 

"Stella, couldn't we just all go as a group?" She suggested with a smile. "You know - me, you and the guys?"

"As a group? Macy!" Stella scolded. 

Macy's hopeful smile, fell. She started to shrink into her seat. I hate when Stella yells at her. 

"The student council and I planned this dance to be the most romantic dance ever, in the history of formal dances, at Horace Mantis Academy."

"Okay, so?" Joe added.

I shook my head, looking down at my lunch. Joe could be such an idiot sometimes.

"So!" Stella snapped. 

We all cringed at the loudness of it.

"To go with a group of friends instead of with a date is not romantical at all. Where's the romance in that, Joe?" Stella explained, with a huff. 

"She's got a point." Kevin commented, pointing towards Stella. "Where is the _love_?" 

"Shut up, Kevin." Joe grumbled. 

_"Thank you, Kevin."_ Stella nodded approvingly, crossing her arms.

"Besides, if we all go as a group, all we'll be doing is standing around awkwardly together in a circle, not knowing what to do with ourselves."

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Joe said sarcastically. "I don't do awkward."

Stella narrowed her eyes at Joe. 

"But what's wrong with people just going with a group of friends or even just Macy being her own date?" Joe asked. 

"Being her own date? Ugh, because Joe! It's one thing for a guy to go alone to a dance but for a girl. That's crazy talk! Besides, we set up the ticket system for the dance in a way where you can only buy the tickets in pairs. Hence why she needs a date."

"Okay, so, we need dates then." I confirmed, trying to keep the conversation going. 

"Yes." Stella answered, looking over at Macy. "So, let's just hope someone asks you before Friday." 

Macy nodded and looked down at her lunch shyly. Macy doesn't look happy. Maybe her and I can talk about this after school? I hate when Stella get's like this, all frazzled and bossy. It freaks people out. Especially me. I bet she's even worse around Macy and I can see it's upsetting her. 

After that conversation, we all got back to eating our lunches, and talking amongst ourselves. Macy and Kevin were talking about one of their favorite show’s newest episode. I was writing in my work notebooks and Stella was scrolling through her phone, while Joe finished his sandwich.

Suddenly, Joe spoke up, causing me to look up from my notebook. Everyone else was too distracted to listen. 

"Hey, Stells."

Stella stopped scrolling through her phone and looked over at Joe.

"Yes, Joe?" 

"You know... Stella, you're a girl..."

What. an. Idiot. 

"Glad you finally noticed." She spat dryly, looking back at her phone with a frown.

Joe's face blanked. Smooth Joe. 

"I-um..."

"Oh, shoot!" Stella gasped, shooting up from her seat. 

"What? What is it?" Macy asked, confused. 

"I have to go! I forgot I had a meeting with the council." Stella explained quickly, packing up her lunch. 

Macy nodded, understanding. Stella got up and started to leave before she stopped mid-step. 

"Macy!"

Macy was slightly shocked by Stella calling out her name. She looked over at Stella, confused. 

"Let me know if you have a date by the end of today, alright?" She called out to her.

But before Macy could reply, Stella was out of sight. All the other student's around us started to whisper to each other, looking over at Macy, after watching that scene unfold between them. Macy huffed, then started to pack up her things. I felt so bad for her, she must be so embarrassed. 

"Wow." Kevin chuckled. "Stella _is_ tense."

"Yeah, but she always gets like that when she has a lot on her plate." Joe reminded, packing up his lunch.

I shook my head annoyed. She still doesn't have to treat us like that. I then felt the sudden urge to check my watch. Yup, lunch was almost over. I started to pack up my stuff too.

"Yeah, she does." I agreed. "But she needs to chill."

"Stella, chill? Good one, Nick." Joe laughed. 

"Well..." Macy spoke up. We turned our attention to her.

"Stella would have a lot less on her plate, if she stopped worrying about everybody else's love life and just focused on her own." Macy complained, getting up to leave.

Wow, did she really just say that? Well, just by going off the shocked looks on my brother's faces, confirms it. Yeah, she really did just say that. 

"See you guys later."

After Macy was out of ear shot, Joe spoke up. 

"Woah, Macy really is upset with her, huh?"

"Yup." I said, impressed. "I am too. She doesn't need to be so hard on her."

"I know but-"

"And Macy does have a point." I interjected. "There is other things Stella could be focusing on. _Right Joe?_ "

Kevin looked over at Joe with a raised eyebrow.

"Nick, tell me you didn't-" Joe stuttered nervously.

Not knowing what else to say to him, I just shrugged my shoulders with a smirk.

"See ya around."

I then grabbed my things, waved goodbye to them, then left for 3rd period. Well, all in all, lunch break wasn't so bad. It could have gone way worse. Right? And as I was walking away, I heard Kevin say something to Joe before they got up to leave for class. 

"Ha Joe! Looks who's the lover boy now!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Answer: Harry Potter & the Goblet Of Fire - When Ron tries to ask Hermoine to the Yule ball. Thought those lines were a good fit for Joella.


	28. tuesday, june 15th: nick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-yo. Here is the newest chapter. I'm working on the other ones now. This story is really coming along lol. Probably because I actually have the time to write it now. Thanks covid-19. 
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to wait until the story hit 230 hits before I posted this chapter and worked on the next one. And you guys did it again, so here I am!
> 
> If there is any confusion because of the title of the chapter - know that the other chapters will be in the other character's POV but still on the same day, so there will be more than one part. Nick was first, only because I find him the easiest to write lol, then so on with the others. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this new chapter! Next one should be coming soon!

Nick's POV

"Mom! We're home from school!" Kevin called out, as we all set our backpacks by the front door.

"Hey guys! Just in the kitchen!" Mom called back. 

"Oh, great! Is there anything to eat, mom? I'm starving!" Joe asked, kicking off his shoes.

"You're starving? Don't you remember the huge sandwich you ate at lunch time?" Kevin quipped, walking towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, I do. And it was delicious." Joe smirked, following Kevin to the kitchen.

He then pulled out some bottles of iced tea from out of the fridge and handed one to each of us.

"Of course, it was because Mom made it for you. Mom always has to make your lunches, Joe." Kevin teased, taking a sip of his drink.

We sat down on the island stools, drinking our beverages. Mom snickered, while stirring something on the stove. 

"It's because she loves me the most." Joe shot back. 

"No, it's because you are always the last person to get up! You never have time in the morning, so Mom has to do it for you!" Kevin interjected. 

I laughed, clutching my stomach. 

"No, no, Kevin - it's because Joe's too dumb to make them himself." I corrected, putting my drink down in front of me. 

"Oh my god, yeah!" Kevin laughed, slapping his knee.

"What? No, I can totally make a killer sandwich!" Joe fought back.

Kevin and I started to laugh harder, causing Joe to pout. 

"Joe can only make Ketchup sandwich's!" I added, still laughing. 

"Hey! Not true!"

"So true!" Kevin and I replied, simultaneously.

We continued to laugh, ignoring him. 

"Okay, okay guys, that's enough." Mom said, sternly. 

As our laughter died down, Dad suddenly walked into the kitchen, holding a brief case in his left hand. 

"Oh! Hey guys!" He said happily to us, then walking around the island to Mom.

"Sweetie." He added, kissing her on the check. 

"Yuck." Joe faked gagged, causing Mom to giggle. We smiled at her. 

"Man! What timing! I'm glad you guys are all here together, I have a special announcement to tell you boys." He said excitedly. He then stopped and looked around the room.

"Where's Frankster?" He added. 

"Oh, he's at a friends house. He asked me-" Mom started to explain.

"Okay, honey. That's fine. I'll tell him later." He suddenly said, getting back to the point.

"What do you need to tell us Dad?" Kevin asked curiously.

Dad then set the brief case down in front of us on the island and leaned over to us. 

"Joe, Nick, Kevin.... How would you guys feel - instead of us going away this summer - we do a SUMMER TOUR?" Dad asked, smiling brightly. 

We blinked at him before Joe spoke up. 

"Uh Dad? Haven't you been planning this for the longest time?" Joe asked, confused.

I snorted. 

"Well yes, but it was never set-in stone. But now - with the success of our new album and the high sale rating of our last album, it's finally ready to go! I just - I need to know if you guys are up for it." Dad explained. 

Kevin, Joe and I looked at each other for a split second before answering.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" 

"Hell yeah!"

"I'm so down!" 

"Yes!" Dad said happily, punching a fist into the air.

He then wrapped an arm around Mom and kissed the side of her head, as we jumped out of our seats and started talking excitedly all at once about the tour. 

"I'm going to bring all my guitars!"

"Oh my god, Stella is going to go nuts. She's going to make us such cool outfits!"

"I can't wait to sing all of my - uh, our songs live!" 

"Look at our boys, Tom. They really are getting to live their dream, aren't they?" She cooed, happily.

"I am too. I always wanted to manage a successful band. But the best part of it all, is that the band is my three talented sons."

"You taught them well, honey. All of our boys. They couldn't have done any of it without you." 

"Yeah, but I couldn't have done all this without them. The band's success didn't just come from me. Really! They did all the hard work. I just came along for the ride. And look at Frankie, he's the one that comes up with the merch! Without him, we wouldn't even have any!"

"Well, the band's success was definitely a team effort. I'm so proud all my Lucas boys. All of them." She praised, pecking him on the lips. 

"Thanks honey." He hummed back. 

We then started to chant, marching around the living room.

"We're number one!"

"We're number one!"

"We're number one!"

Mom eyed Dad playfully. He smiled, picked her up off the ground, and started spinning her around, causing her to giggle. As he set her back down, he said,

"You know honey... you and I both know, you're the glue that holds us boys together! If anyone is number one around here, it's you!"

"And don't you ever forget that!" She laughed, walking back towards the stove.

"Alright! Alright! Calm down boys!" Dad chuckled, walking over to us.

Our excitement and laughter started to die down as he stood next to us. 

"There is a lot more to talk about, but why don't we talk about it after dinner?" He suggested, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Sure, Dad." Kevin smiled. 

"Sounds good!" Joe added with a smile.

I nodded, smiling.

"Okay, help your mom set up for dinner, I'll be in my office."

Dad smiled back at us, grabbed his brief case then walked away to his office.

"Dinner will be ready soon, boys! So, hurry up, and set the table, then go wash up!

"Kay Mom!"

"We got this; don't you worry Mom!" 

"You can count on us, number one!" 

Mom shook her head, amused. We all laughed happily, then started to set the table. 

"Man, I am so excited. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight." Joe said, while laying on his bed, throwing his hackie sack in the air, then catching it. "I can't wait to tell Stella."

Kevin was sitting on one of the armchairs, tuning one of his guitars. 

"I know! I'm tuning and polishing all my babies right now! Sucks that I can only bring 4 though." He sighed, petting his guitar. He then pulled a cloth out of his pocket and started to polish. 

"I'm excited too. It's been while since our last tour." I commented happily, sitting down at our desk, writing out a set list I'd like for the tour.

After dinner, Dad called us into his office and sat down with us. He told us all the details about the tour. Where we were going, the other band members that was traveling with us, all the stops for interviews we were doing in between shows, everything.

The only thing he couldn't tell us yet, was who was going to be our opening act. I guess he is still waiting to hear back from a few other artists that might be able to come on tour with us. He also said that since this tour was during the summer, we were allowed to bring some friends with us if we wanted - with their parent’s permission, of course. We all knew Stella was going to come because she was our hired stylist but now, I can see if Macy wants to go with us. I would love to have her come experience tour life with us.

I know she doesn't act like it anymore, but deep down; she still is our number one fan. I know she would really love to see how it all goes down - touring around as a band - and plus she would get to see us play live the whole summer. She'd really enjoy that. Let's just hope her mom doesn't force her to work at the shop all summer. Dad warned us though, if we didn't pass all of our classes at the end of the school year, the tour will be canceled. Yikes. But I'm not too worried. I know we all do fairly well in school. If not, Mom would have our heads. Speaking of Mom, she won't be coming with us on this tour. Dad said because since it was only for the summer, she felt like she could stay home this time with Frankie.

Dad will be coming and all of the other crew members. That's fine, I guess. We'll miss her but she's cool with staying home this go around. Most of the time, she just stays backstage. We can face time her if we start to miss her anyway. My brothers and I were so excited. We couldn't wait for school to end. We literally have 2 more weeks of school then tour time! Well, we have the dance too. That reminds me, I wanted to talk to Macy about that but never got the chance to bring it up at school today. 

I closed my notebook, grabbed my phone sitting next to me and shoved it into my pocket. I got up from the desk and made my way to one of the fire poles. 

"Where you are going, Nick?" Joe asked, sitting up on his bed. 

"I need to make a phone call. I'll be right back." I answered, grabbing the pole and sliding down. 

"Always so mysterious, that one." Joe joked. 

"Well, it is sort of his thing." Kevin chuckled, then continued to polish his guitar. 

I walked to our patio door and slid it open. I took a few steps outside onto our deck and took a seat on one of the steps. I then pulled out my phone and unlocked it, looking for Macy's number in my recent calls. 

I hit dial and placed the phone next to my ear. As it rang, I listened to the noises that were being made in my backyard. The sound of crickets makes me feel so nostalgic. Summer was definitely my favorite time of year. After a few rings, Macy picked up.

**_"Hey!"_ **

"Hey Mace. It's Nick."

**_"I know Nick. I have caller ID."_ ** _She chuckled._

"Right." I chuckled back. 

**_"Anyways, what's up?"_ ** _She asked curiously._

"Not much. I just wanted to talk to you about something..." 

I felt my heart start to beat faster. Why am I getting so nervous all of a sudden? Get it together, Lucas. 

**_"Sure. What about?"_ **

"Well, um - I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I um - noticed that you looked upset again at lunch today." I admitted quietly.

**_"You can tell I'm still upset?"_ **

"You might have fooled my brothers, maybe even Stella but not me, Mace. I _am_ you’re best guy friend." 

**_"Is it really that obvious?"_**

"Well... when Stella brought up the dance again today during lunch, you started to look upset - kind of like you wanted to punch something..."

Macy huffed into the phone. 

"And if what you said yesterday about Stella is anything to go by... I'd think it's safe to say, that it's pretty obvious you're still upset."

**_"Oh."_ ** _She replied, breathlessly. **"Do you think she noticed I'm upset with her?"**_

"Well, to be honest, I think Stella is too preoccupied to notice anything at the moment, but not me... I notice everything. Hawk-eye vision, remember?" I teased. 

**_"Oh yeah! How could I forget?"_ ** _She chuckled. **"You saw that ball coming for us a mile away. Thank god we moved when we did."**_

"Richardson is getting more dangerous every time we go there... we _might_ need to think about a new hangout spot."

_She giggled._

"So... want to talk about it?"

There was a small silence before Macy sighed. 

**_"Stella is just bugging me, that's all. More than usual. She's driving me nuts actually."_ ** _She admitted, sadly._

"Why? Because of the dance coming up?" I questioned.

I obviously knew that was the reason, but I wanted her to admit it. I didn't just want to assume. 

**_"Yes! She is worried I won't get a date. It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm not that interested in going, to be honest."_ ** _She confessed._

"What? Why?" I responded. 

**_"I don't know. I just feel like it'll be a waste of time."_ ** _She replied, honestly. **"I was looking forward to it, but now I feel all this pressure because of Stella's - must have a date - rule."**_

I understand where she's coming from. I was looking forward to the dance too but now that I know I need a date...I started to feel pressured to get a date and I don't even like any of the girls at my school. Not enough to accompany them to a romantic dance. 

"I know what you mean, but Macy, Stella worked pretty hard on this... how do you think she'd feel if you didn't go?" I counseled. 

She sighed again.

**_"I understand what you're saying... It's just - I just feel like I'm being pressured to get all dolled up, to have a handsome date that I don't even know - when all I really want is just to be comfortable and have fun. She needs to chill sometimes. You know?"_ **

I sighed. Oh, I know. Stella does get crazy when she plans things. Try having her as your stylist on tour.

**_"I mean, I know I'm the last person to talk about being chill... but-"_ ** _She joked._

I laughed and started to think back to the first moments we spent time together. Yeah, Macy has had some crazy fangirl moments. I have some scars to prove it, but- now... looking back at them, to be honest, I guess I didn't really mind them as much as I pretended too.

If I ever got the chance to change our first interactions, I wouldn't a change thing. Not one single thing. Her fangirl moments really are the fondest and quite funniest memories, I have with Macy. I didn't know it at the time, but I now see how her passion, loyalty and just her personality, is what made me fall for her.

But this situation is totally different.

"No, Macy. Listen, I get it. And you're right, she does need to chill about this stupid dance. So, why don't you just tell her how you feel?" I suggested. "Stella is a lot like Joe. Oblivious. Sometimes she doesn't see what she's doing wrong until you point it out to her." 

**_"I know...I'm just scared of upsetting her."_ **

"But she's upsetting you. You have every right to tell her how you feel." I reminded, switching the phone to my other ear. "She's your best friend, she'll understand." 

**_"You're right, Nick."_ **

"Of course, I am. And remember... you can tell me anything that's bothering you. Even if it's about Stella..."

**_"But it's just - Stella is like your sister. I didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable position."_ **

"Okay, fair. But Macy, trust me - Stella has no issue talking about her problems with me, especially the ones about Joe, sometimes against my will." I joked.

We both laughed. 

"So, don't worry about that. You're my best friend and although I care for Stella like a sister... I care about you too. So, talk to me if you need too. I'm always here." 

**_"Okay. Thanks, Nick. I guess I need to be reminded of that sometimes."_ **

"You're welcome Macy and yes, you do." 

**_"Anyway, I'm going to go call her. I'll talk-"_ **

As she was about to end the conversation, an idea struck me. Why don't Macy and I just go together to the dance? I really don't want to go with anyone from my school, to be honest. And Macy doesn't want to go with a random date. This solves both our problems. 

"Wait Macy! Before you go, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about..."

**_"Oh, okay, Nick. What is it?"_ **

"Um- do you want to - maybe go to - uh, accompany me- come with me to the dance?" I stuttered out, blushing. 

Man! I know I have a crush on Macy, but this shouldn't be so hard! We'll just be going as friends! Right? I can't see why Macy would say no, anyway. I'm sure she'd rather go with me then some random date Stella sets her up with. And to be honest, I'd rather have her go with me to the dance then have that happen. 

Thank god, my brothers are inside, not around to witness this mental break down. 

**_"You want to go together? Me and you?" She clarified._ **

"Yeah. Why not?" I admitted, nervously. "Plus, it will help us not end up with crappy dates." I added, hoping my voice sounded convincing. 

**_"Yeah, I guess you're right! It'll get Stella off my back, that's for sure."_ ** _She chuckled._

I smiled, letting out a breath. I then got up off the step and started to walk to the back door to go inside.

"See? So, what do you say?" I prompted. I grabbed the handle of the patio door, gripping it tightly, waiting for her response. 

**_"Okay. Yeah. I'd love to go with you, Nick."_ **

Yes! I mean- cool. Cool. 

"Perfect. I'll see if Kevin can take us to the dance. We'll pick you up at your house?" I suggested. 

**_"Sure, sounds good to me. You already know where I live, so..."_ ** _She joked._

I laughed. 

**_"Just let me know what time you're coming, okay?"_ **

"Don't worry. I'll let you know all the details sometime this week."

**_"Okay! Thanks again, Nick. For everything."_ **

"You're welcome, Mace."

**_"Bye!"_ **

"Bye, Macy." 

I smiled widely, and hung up my phone, before finally opening the door to go back inside.

Thank god that was over. But I'm really looking forward to going to the dance now that I am going with Macy. We're going to have a great time. I can see us now. Macy in a lovely dress.... us slow dancing to a slow song.

I sighed, making my way up the stairs, back to our room. 

I can't think like that about her. Macy and I are friends, and nothing more. As much as I want us to be more, I respect that is all we will ever be. Having Macy as my friend is better then not having her in my life at all.

I'm glad I have a friend like her to help with situations like this. Who else could I have asked to the dance? No one.

And with the whole Stella situation... like I said before, I'm always going to be there for her. Like she's there for me. That's one thing I know that will never change between us. At least I have that going for me. 

There is so much to look forward to in my life right now. The tour especially! I don't know how the rest of the summer is going to pan out. But what I do know, is that this summer is going to be a summer, that I'll never forget. For what reason, that remains to be seen. 


	29. kevin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the continuation of "tuesday, june 16th"- this chapter is in Kevin's POV. Enjoy.

Kevin's POV

"Where you going, Nick?" Joe asked, sitting up on his bed. 

"I need to make a phone call. I'll be right back." Nick answered, grabbing the fire pole and sliding down. 

"Always so mysterious, that one." Joe joked. 

"Well, it is sort of his thing." I chuckled, then continued to polish my guitar.

Man, she was a beauty. This guitar is one of my favorite guitars. I'm for sure bringing her with me. I am so hyped for this tour! I knew Dad was working on have it come together, but I wasn't sure if it was for real. A guy could dream right? Look at my dreams coming true. So blessed. 

I set my polishing cloth down next to me and got up to put my guitar back on it's stand. I sighed happily and walked over to my brother, sitting down on his bed next to him. 

"Everything alright?" I asked, crossing my legs.

"Huh? Yeah. Just thinking." Joe replied, as he continued to throw his hackie sack in the air. 

But before I could say anything else to him, I heard my Mom call my name.

"Kevin! The show is going to start soon! Are you coming?" 

"Oh shoot!" I checked the time on my watch. 8:25pm. "I'll be back, bro."

"Great. Thanks for leaving me alone guys!" Joe called out, as I quickly ran to one of the fire poles to slide down.

Once I landed, I ran to the living room couch where my Mom was sitting.

"Don't tell me I missed it." I whined, plopping myself next to my Mom.

"No, it's still on the commercials. You're good." She chuckled, handing me a drink. Oh, a fruit cocktail.

"Thanks Mom." I smiled. 

"You're almost of age." She chuckled, taking a sip of hers.

I laughed, then took a sip. Wow, this was good. She always makes the best drinks. One of her favorite hobbies, it seems. 

"I won't tell Dad, if you don't." I joked, settling into the couch. 

She laughed. 

"So, who do you think she'll give the rose to this episode?" She asked, hugging a pillow to her lap.

"Honestly, my money is on Michael or Chip." I deduced, putting my legs underneath me. 

"Ew, I hope it's Michael. I hate Chip. His name is weird." She grumbled, taking another sip of her drink.

"You're not wrong, Mom." I laughed, turning my head to the TV. 

"So, since we got a few minutes of boring screen time, I wanted to ask you something." She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay?" I replied, confused. 

"When you went to get your hair cut... who cut your hair?" She asked, running her fingers through my curls. "Was it my stylist?"

"Oh, uh - no. It was a girl named Danielle." I responded. 

"Oh! What did you think of her, did you think she was cute?"

"Um - I guess. Why are you asking me this?" I eyed her suspiciously. 

"No reason." She smiled, looking over at the TV.

We sat there in silence for a few seconds until I couldn't take it anymore, I spoke up and asked again.

"Mom, why did ask me that?" I asked, confused. 

She then turned her whole body to face me and started rambling.

"Okay, well, I knew that my hair stylist had a daughter and I've seen her there all the time in the salon... Danielle. And her and I talk a lot actually and while getting to know her, I always thought that you guys would be a good match..."

I felt my body going tense. She always does this. She always tries to hook me up with her friend’s daughters. Mom feels like she's the best match maker in our family. Sometimes she does good, most of the time... well, let's just say - I'm still single. 

"And I've been wondering about this since you got your hair cut but never found the right time to ask you." 

She then looked between me and her, holding our cocktails and she smirked.

"I thought maybe during one of our nightly Bachelor Binges would be a good time as any."

I started to blush lightly and cleared my throat, before taking another sip.

"I see." 

"So, did you guys hit it off like I predicted?" She asked, hopeful, clutching onto the pillow in her lap. 

"I think so, yeah." I admitted sheepishly. 

She squealed before turning her whole body to me. I cringed a bit at the noise.

"Did you get her number?" 

"Yeah." I replied, embarrassed. 

"Yay! I'm so happy for you, Kev! So, when are you guys going out?" She asked, excitedly.

"Woah, Mom. We're not even there yet for that." I replied, setting my glass down. "We're just friends, getting to know each other more." 

"Oh." She pouted. "Do you guys at least text? Call on the phone?" 

"Yeah, we face-time a lot. Mostly after school or when she's not working at the salon." 

"Do you face-time around your brothers?" She chuckled.

"Are you crazy! No! I do it in my bunk, with the curtain closed. They're basically never around anyway - too busy doing their own thing." I smiled, rubbing the back of my head nervously. 

"What do you and Danielle talk about?"

"Everything." I laughed. "Now that we're actually talking about this, this reminds me-"

"Oh, shhh! It's going to start! Tell me after!" She interrupted, waving her hand in my face to shut me up.

I smirked, and then pulled out my phone from my pocket. I pulled up Dani on my contact list and sent her a text, not even caring about the show anymore.

* * *

"I can't believe she picked Chip. What an idiot." 

"Maybe she's only into looks." I suggested, grabbing our cups off the coffee table.

Mom scoffed then walked with me to the kitchen.

"Well, I'm going to go take a bath, then hit the hay. I had fun tonight, honey." 

"Me too, Mom. Thanks for-" I held up my empty cocktail glass. 

"Anytime. I'm glad you liked it. I never made that cocktail before." 

"It was delicious." I chuckled, placing the cup in the sink. She smiled at me.

"And Mom? Thanks for also - you know..." 

"For what? The advice on where to cut your hair or something else?" She teased. 

I gave her an deadpanned expression.

She winked at me before walking off to the bathroom. As she was leaving, I smiled to myself and walked back to the living room, to shut off the TV. I then started to make my way upstairs to our room and when I got there, Joe was hanging up his cell phone with a disappointed look on his face. 

"You okay?"

Man, I keep asking him that. Something is definitely not right with him... Maybe I'll ask him what's bothering him before we go to bed?

"Yeah, wanna play Fortnite?"

"Sure, bro."

Joe and I grabbed our PS4 with controllers and set up the game. As we started the game counsel, Nick walked into our room, with a wide smile on his face. 

"Youngest goes first!" Nick called, jumping onto the couch in our room, next to Joe, taking the controller out of his hands. 

"Nick, that's not even a real rule!" Joe snapped. 

"It's definitely a rule. It's in book of Jonas." Nick stated confidently. 

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

I shook my head at my younger brother’s banter. Life with them is never a dull moment. I can only imagine what tour life is going to be like with them all summer! All I know is, that this summer, with this tour coming up and the end of the school year dance/date with Danielle - is going to be one summer that I'll never forget. 


	30. joe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the continuation of "tuesday, june 16th"- this chapter is in Joe's POV. Enjoy.

Joe's POV

"Great. Thanks for leaving me alone, guys!" I called out, just as Kevin slid down the fire pole to go meet Mom.

Gosh. Where's Frankie - the Bonus Jonas - when you need him?

While Nick was outside, talking to whoever - probably Macy - Kevin left me to go hang out with Mom for a bit. They both like to watch this one show together that comes on in the evening.

So, since I was left alone, I decided to call Stella and tell her the good news about the tour. She picked up on the first ring.

**_"Hey Joe. What's up?"_ **

"Hey Stells. Not much. There's just something I wanna ask you..." 

**_"Sure, what is it, Joe? You know you can ask me anything."_ ** _She replied, sweetly._

"Okay, but you might wanna be sitting down for this..." I teased. 

**_"Come on, Joe! Out with it_ ** _, **already! What is it that you need to ask me?"**_

"Do you have any plans for this summer?" I asked. 

**_"What?"_ ** _She asked confused._

"You might need to cancel those plans if you do..." I added. 

**_"Joe, what are you trying to tell me?"_ **

"Oh, I don't know.... only the best news ever!" I laughed, happily. 

**_"News? What news?"_ **

"We're going on tour, Stella! Dad confirmed it and everything! Expect to hear a call from him very soon."

There was a small silence before Stella spoke up. She was probably shocked and needed a moment to respond to my exciting news. 

**_"Oh..."_ **

"Stella?"

**_"I mean- Oh, my god! Wait - did you say a summer tour? That's actually happening? We never done a full summer tour before!"_ **

"I know! We always go traveling during the summer! I guess this year we'll be traveling in a different way." I laughed.

**_"Wow! I have so many wardrobe idea's for you guys! And your stage outfits! Ah, I'm so excited!"_ ** _She squealed into the phone._

"Same Stella. Same." I said, walking towards our bathroom.

_" **Wow, this summer is going to be so awesome!"** She beamed over the phone. **"I wonder what other amazing things might happen?"**_

"I have no idea. Oh and Stells! Dad said we're allowed to bring some friends with us on tour. Do you think Macy will want to come? I know both me and my brothers would love to have her tag along this time." I asked, checking myself out in the mirror. 

**_"I'm sure she'd love to come. I'll talk to her about it."_ ** _She replied, happily. **"In fact, I hope she comes, to be honest. She'll help me even out the odds."**_

"Ha ha. Funny." I chuckled. "You know you love coming with us on tour, don't lie."

**_"I really do, actually."_ ** _She giggled back._

"Cool." I responded, closing the bathroom light behind me. "Anyway Stella-

**_"Oh, speaking of Macy! She's calling me on the other line. Is it cool if we talk more about this tomorrow?"_ **

"Yeah, of course."

Damn. I wanted to talk to her about the dance... maybe see if she had a date already? I want to go with Stella to the dance, but I don't know how to ask her without ruining our friendship. It's already complicated as it is. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow, I'll shoot my shot. 

**_"Okay, bye Joe. Night."_ **

"See ya." 

I sighed and hung up the phone.

When Nick came back from his phone call, we set up our gaming counsel in our room and played some Fortnite. Even Frankie joined us for a few rounds.

I guess Dad had a talk with him about the tour when he got home from his friend’s house. Even though Frankie is not coming with us, Dad needed some advice about tour merch. Leave it to Frankie to know what to do. After all, he is the best sale's person in this family. 

"Good night, boys! I mean it! If I catch anyone of you on your phones, you will be grounded up until tour time!" Mom warned. "Not joking."

"Aw c'mon Mom! Why you gotta be like that?" I whined. 

Nick chuckled. Kevin smirked. 

"Good night, boys."

"Night, Mom."

God, that women is cruel when she wants to be. I sighed and got into bed, with my brother's following suit. It was about 12:00 in the morning, when Mom insisted that we stop playing video games and finally go to bed.

She said we'll need a good night sleep for school tomorrow. Especially with all the excitement that we had today. Well, she's not totally wrong. I am pretty tired actually. 

_"Psst Joe?"_

_"Yeah, Kev?"_

_"Who were you on the phone with?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"When I came back from watching my show with Mom, you were hanging up your cell phone."_

_"Oh! I called Stella."_

_"Shhh. Will you guys keep it down?" Nick hissed. "I'm trying to sleep!"_

_"Sorry."_

_"Did you tell her about the tour?"_

_"Yeah, she's really excited about the whole thing. Told her that Dad will be calling her soon with all the info."_

_"Okay. Good."_

_"I swear to God, shut - up!" Nick interrupted._

_"Nick, can I ask you something?"_

_"What now?"_

_"You were talking to Macy."_

_"Joe, that was a statement, not a question."_

_"I'm getting to it, God! You asked her to the dance, right?"_

_"What - how did you know?"_

_"I could tell, you were smiling a lot when you came back inside."_

_"What? No, I wasn't!"_

_"You totally were, Nick."_

_"Shut up, Kev."_

_"I just want to know... how did you ask her?"_

_"How did I? I don't know, Joe! I just asked her."_

_"Just like that? You weren't scared..."_

_"Scared of what?"_

_"Ruining your friendship?"_

_"No, Joe. Macy and I are only going as friends."_

_"Really? But it's a romantic dance? The most romantic dance in history at Horace Mantis Academy."_

_"Yes, well, Macy and I decided to go together to get Stella off our backs, that's all."_

_"That's all? No other reason?"_

_"No other reason." Nick growled._

_"That's really smart, actually."_

_"Of course, it is, Kevin. It's because I'm smart."_

_I snorted._

_"Why are you asking Nick all this, Joe?" Kevin questioned, changing the subject._

_"I'm scared to ask Stella to the dance."_

_"Why?" Nick asked._

_"Because I don't want to go with her just as a friend."_

_"Oh."_

_"But I also don't want to ruin our friendship..."_

_"Kind of complicated, if you ask me." Kevin added._

_"Yeah. I know." I agreed._

_Nick sighed impatiently._

_"Just ask her. She probably wants to go with you, anyway. Even if it's just as a friend. Better then nothing, right?"_

_"Nick's right. So, you better ask her before someone else does."_

_"Yeah. You're right. Thanks guys."_

I turned over in my bed and reset my head on my pillow.

No use stressing about it now. If I don't fall asleep, I'll feel like a zombie in the morning. Mom will for sure be pissed at me.

My brothers and I found out some amazing news today. It turned out to be an awesome day for us. Tomorrow is a new day. Who knows what could happen? All I know now is, this summer is going to be wicked and I'll never forget it. 


	31. macy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, okay, so... I know you're probably confused. This a series now??? Whyyy? 
> 
> Well... I decided to make this story into a series because this story is already at 30 chapters (YIKES) & I'm not even half way through the story yet. I don't want to make "She's Not Just Any Fangirl" too long for you guys, so I'm separating the story into parts of a series. There will be 40 chapters in this part of the story, then I'll move onto the other parts of the series. Hope this change is not too confusing...
> 
> Anyways, here is the next part of "tuesday, june 16th"- this chapter is in Macy's POV then the last one is in Stella's. Enjoy.

Macy's POV

"Hey, Macy." 

"Oh! Hey, Liam!"

"Bye, Macy."

"What? Okay...Bye?" 

I quickly moved out of the way of the threshold and let my brother pass through. I smiled, watching my brother run down pathway of our house and onto the street, crossing over to one of our neighbor house's. I guess he's going to go hang with Michael. Maybe shoot some hoops? I could see Michael shooting hoops in his driveway.

"Macy, honey? Is that you?"

I smiled, finally shutting the door and dropping my backpack onto the floor.

"Yeah, Mom! I'm home!" I replied, as I kicked off my shoes by the front door and made my way into the living room.

"Oh, great! How was school?"

"Good! Now that school is almost done, we're barely doing anything productive in class. It's the best." I chuckled, as I sat down on the couch.

She chuckled back.

"Mace, do you think you can come into the kitchen for a minute?" 

"Sure, Mom." I replied, getting up from the couch. 

As I walked into the kitchen, I could smell a sweet aroma of a cherry pie. Mmmm. 

"Mom? What are you doing?" I wondered curiously, walking over to her. 

"I have to bake some pies!"

"Clearly." I nodded, watching her run around the kitchen.

"Can you taste this filling for me?" She asked, grabbing a spoon from the utensil drawer, then getting back to work. 

"Sure." I dipped the spoon into the filling and tried a bite. 

"Yum. It's good, Mom. But - uh - what's the special occasion?" I chuckled, placing the dirty spoon in the sink. 

"Your brother is having an end of the year bake sale tomorrow at his school - that he just told me about now!"

I shook my head, understanding. That's why he went over to Michael's. Mom must have sent him away from the kitchen. Liam get's more in the way, instead of actually helping. 

"He told his teacher that I was baking some of my famous pies!" She explained, rolling out some pie dough. 

"What. an. idiot." I commented, shaking my head. "Why would he do that?

"It's fine, honestly! I just wish he told me sooner! I'm working late at the shop tonight..." 

"Oh? Is the shop not ready yet for the renovations?" I asked, rolling up my sleeves.

"Just about! I have a few more boxes to move out and a couple pieces of furniture... Chad is going to help me with all that." She responded, while designing the edge of the pie crust. 

I smiled widely and walked over to the sink, to wash my hands.

Chad, huh? I didn't realize they still talked...

My Mom and Chad were old co-workers, they use to work together at her old job, before my parent's split. They have never lost contact with each other and have always been close friends, especially when my Dad left. He helped my Mom get on her feet.

He was married once but it didn't last long. His wife cheated. And I think he also has a young daughter? She's like 6 years old? I always liked Mom and him together... I sort of wished they would get together when I was growing up without my Dad. But things were complicated then, I guess.

"I'm just scared I won't have enough time to get all these done before I have to go!" She said worriedly, picking up the pie dough and placing it into the pie dish. 

After drying my hands, I walked up to the cutting board that was sitting on the counter and continued to cut up the apples, my Mom peeled for her famous apple pie. 

My Mom looked over at me and let out a breath. She smiled proudly at me. 

"Thank you, Macy." 

"Of course, Mom." 

After what seemed like forever, Mom and I finally got all the pies done. It was a lot of fun, actually. We got to talk about a lot of things while baking together. We talked about the shop, about school, some of our family members that live a few hours away from us. I guess my cousin is pregnant again, with her third kid. Gosh! Get a hobby, lady!

All in all, it was a great way to spend the rest of my afternoon. I missed spending time with my Mom like this. We even got into a flour fight! It was the stupidest but the funniest thing I've done in a while.

"Here, Mace."

Mom walked over to her purse, to look for something. She then placed a pizza coupon into my hand. 

"Dinner?" I laughed, shoving it into my pocket. 

"If that's alright? If not, I have other takeaway-"

"No, it's fine, Mom. I'm just teasing." 

"Anyway, thanks for helping, Macy. I mean it. You always have my back." She said, smiling. 

"No problem, Mom. Now, go, shower! I'll clean up here." I said, shooing her away.

"Y-you sure?" 

"Yes, Mom! Go! You're covered in flour!" I grinned, pushing her out of the kitchen. "You don't want to be late, meeting up with Chad!" 

"Okay! Thank you! I really owe you one!" She praised, leaving to go shower but stopped, poking her head back into the kitchen. "And don't worry about me for dinner..."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Chad and I are going to get some food after we're done at the shop. It's my treat for him helping me out." She admitted, before finally leaving to shower. 

I smirked knowingly before walking over to the sink, to grab a washcloth and clean up the mess. 

My Mom left shortly after I finished cleaning up the kitchen. She told me to keep the pies covered until she got back from the shop. She also told me to make sure my brother came home for dinner.

When she finally left, I took a quick shower, called the pizza place, ordered some pizza and called my brother to come home for dinner. My brother and I watched TV together (one of his favorites - American Ninja Warrior) and we ate our pizza.

"Hey, Macy?"

"Yeah, Liam?" I replied, watching the guy on the TV fall into the water.

"Are you still hanging out with - that guy- uh -what's his name?" 

"Who?" I asked, half-listening. 

"The one who comes over for dinner sometimes... You know-"

"Oh, Nick?" I realized, suddenly. 

"Yeah, him."

"Yes, we still hang out. Well, we do see each other everyday at school." I answered. "Why?"

"Oh, okay." He said, shrugging. 

"Why do you ask, Liam?" I questioned again.

"No reason." He said plainly, setting his plate down in front of him. 

"O-kay?"

"Thanks for the pizza. I'm going to go play Fortnite now. Don't wait up." 

What the hell was that about? Why does he need to know if Nick and I still hang out?

"Don't play too late! You do have school tomorrow!"

"Thanks, Mom!" He replied, sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes at me, as he started to climb up the stairs to his room. I huffed, walking over our empty plates to the kitchen sink. That was weird. Oh well. No point worrying about it now.

If something is bothering Liam, he knows he can tell me. I know we don't always get along, but we are still awfully close. Especially when it comes to serious stuff that is bothering us.

It was hard growing up without Dad. Liam was so young when they split. I felt as his big sister, I had to protect him and help him whenever he needed me. We relied on each other and always had each other's backs. I love him, even though he annoys me to death. 

I sighed as I finished washing up the last cup that was dirty. I placed it into the dry rack and looked out the kitchen window. The sun was going down. The sunset was so pretty. I decided to go sit outside and watch it. 

* * *

I walked to the bench swing and took a seat with a content sigh. I pulled my phone out and opened up the camera. I let my phone focus then took a picture of the sunset. I smiled, looking at the photo, when suddenly I got a text from Mom.

I smiled, locked up my phone, and took a look back at the setting sun.

This sunset reminds me of the time Nick, and I sat outside here and watched the sunset together. It was a really great day. It was the day Nick and I finally connected and started to become close. I told him all about my Dad that night, and about my ex-obsession with him and his brothers. He also held my hand that night too. It was surprising but not un-welcome. It was one of the greatest days of my life, actually. As I was daydreaming about that day I spent with Nick, my phone started to ring. 

"Speaking of Nick..." I muttered to myself before answering. 

"Hey!"

**_"Hey Mace. It's Nick."_ **

"I know Nick. I have caller ID." I chuckled. 

**_"Right." He chuckled back._ **

"Anyways, what's up?" I asked curiously, twirling a piece of hair around my finger. 

**_"Not much. I just wanted to talk to you about something..."_ **

I felt my heart start to beat faster. Okay... well, whatever it is, I'm sure it's important. Calm down, Misa. 

"Sure. What about?"

**_"Well, um - I just wanted to make sure if you were alright. I um - noticed that you looked upset again at lunch today." He admitted, quietly._ **

"You can tell I'm still upset? 

**_"You might have fooled my brothers, maybe even Stella but not me, Mace. I am you're best guy friend."_ **

"Is it really that obvious?" Wow, am I really that easy to read? 

**_"Well... when Stella brought up the dance again today during lunch, you started to look upset - kind of like you wanted to punch something..."_ **

I huffed into the phone. 

**_"And if what you said yesterday about Stella is anything to go by... I'd think it's safe to say, that it's pretty obvious you're still upset."_ **

Yup. I guess I am really easy to read. How does he read me so well?

"Oh." I replied, breathlessly. "Do you think she noticed I'm upset with her?"

**_"Well, to be honest, I think Stella is too preoccupied to notice anything at the moment, but not me... I notice everything. Hawk-eye vision remember?" he teased._ **

"Oh yeah! How could I forget?" I chuckled. "You saw that ball coming for us a mile away. Thank god we moved when we did." 

**_"Richardson is getting more dangerous every time we go there... we might need to think about a new hangout spot."_ **

I giggled. 

**_"So... want to talk about it?"_ **

A small silence set between us before I sighed, finally caving. 

"Stella is just bugging me, that's all. More than usual. She's driving me nuts actually." I admitted, sadly. 

**_"Why? Because of the dance coming up?" He questioned._ **

I know Nick knows the reason. He's not dumb. But I also know that he would rather have me admit it just in case he was wrong. 

"Yes! She is worried I won't get a date. It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm not that interested in going, to be honest." I confessed. 

**_"What? Why?" He responded._ **

"I don't know. I just feel like it'll be a waste of time." I replied, honestly. "I was looking forward to it, but now I feel all this pressure because of Stella's - must have a date - rule."

It's true. This whole thing, that supposed to be fun, turned into something stressful. How would I find a date, anyway? Every hot guy at our school is either gay or taken. Or completely out of my league. Plus, I'd rather save myself the embarrassment of being rejected. 

**_"I know what you mean, but Macy, Stella worked pretty hard on this... how do you think she'd feel if you didn't go?" He counseled._ **

I sighed again.

"I understand what you're saying... It's just - I just feel like I'm being pressured to get all dolled up, to have a handsome date that I don't even know - when all I really want is just to be comfortable and have fun. She needs to chill sometimes. You know?" 

Nick sighed back in response. I bet he knows what I mean. He does have her as their hired stylist. He probably has to handle Stella's craziness all the time. 

"I mean, I know I'm the last person to talk about being chill... but-" I joked, cutting some of the tension. 

Nick laughed into the phone. I smiled, listening to him laugh at my joke. He has the cutest laugh. Focus, Misa. 

**_"No, Macy. Listen, I get it. And you're right, she does need to chill about this stupid dance. So, why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Nick suggested. "Stella is a lot like Joe. Oblivious. Sometimes she doesn't see what she's doing wrong until you point it out to her."_ **

"I know...I'm just scared of upsetting her." 

**_"But she's upsetting you. You have every right to tell her how you feel... She's your best friend, she'll understand."_ **

"You're right, Nick." 

**_"Of course, I am. And remember... you can tell me anything that's bothering you. Even if it's about Stella..."_ **

"But it's just - Stella is like your sister. I didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable position."

**_"Okay, fair. But Macy, trust me - Stella has no issue talking about her problems with me, especially the ones about Joe, sometimes against my will." He joked._ **

We both laughed. 

**_"So, don't worry about that. You're my best friend and although I care for Stella like a sister... I care about you too. So, talk to me if you need too. I'm always here."_ **

Wow. I'm still not use to Nick saying that to me. Ever since that Felicia incident, he's been more - I don't know - caring? He's constantly worried about me and how I'm feeling. He'll ask me all the time if I'm okay. If I seem tired, or stressed, or upset about anything, he'll notice. And I try to hide it most of the time.

Most people don't even notice when I'm all out of sorts. Even Stella. Sometimes she's so stuck into her own little world, that she doesn't always see. And that's okay. I love Stella. She's always there for me when it counts.

But Nick, he ALWAYS there. And it's something that I shouldn't take for granted. Sometimes, I don't want to burden him with my problems or my silly mood swings, but he always reminds me that he's there, for anything. Man, Nick really is a great guy. 

"Okay. Thanks, Nick. I guess I need to be reminded of that sometimes."

**_"You're welcome Macy and yes, you do."_ **

"Anyway, I'm going to go call her. I'll talk-"

As I was about to end the conversation, Nick told me he had something else to ask me.

"Oh, okay, Nick. What is it?"

**_"Um- do you want to - maybe go to - uh, accompany me- come with me to the dance?"_ **

I sat there, shocked. I was completely taken aback. I did not expect him to ask me that! WHAT? I started to feel myself blush. Oh. My. God. Okay, calm down Misa. He probably just means as friends. It's not like he likes me or anything, right?

"You want to go together? Me and you?" I clarified, nervously. 

**_"Yeah. Why not?... Plus, it will help us not end up with crappy dates."_ **

See, Misa. He only asked to get Stella off our backs! Makes sense. Okay, yeah! Let's do it. I'd rather go with Nick, then with some random guy from our school, Stella sets me up with, anyway. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right! It'll get Stella off my back, that's for sure." I chuckled.

**_"See? So, what do you say?"_ **

"Okay. Yeah. I'd love to go with you, Nick." 

And I really do. I would love to go with him! Even if it's just as friends and not in a romantic sense, like I hoped, but at least we'll be comfortable and have fun!

 **_"Perfect. I'll see if Kevin can take us to the dance. We'll pick you up at your house?" He suggested._ **

"Sure, sounds good to me. You already know where I live, so..." I joked, getting up from the swinging bench. 

He laughed back. 

"Just let me know what time you're coming, okay?" I asked, opening the back door to my house. 

**_"Don't worry. I'll let you know all the details sometime this week."_ **

"Okay! Thanks again, Nick. For everything."

Seriously. Thank you, Nick. 

**_"You're welcome, Mace."_ **

"Bye!" 

**_"Bye, Macy."_ **

I hung up my cell with a smile and walked up the stairs to my room. I sat down at my vanity, placed my phone down and looked at myself in the mirror.

I know Stella is going to be happy that I changed my mind about going to the dance - I kind of told her last night through text that I wasn't feeling it. She tried to convenience me to go, so I told her I'd think about it and let her know. But now, that I'm going with Nick, I can tell her I'm going AND that I got a date! But then, realization hit me. 

I quickly picked up my phone, went to my recent calls and dialed Stella's number. I started to tap on my vanity anxiously, while I waited for her to pick up. 

Oh gosh, I just realized... I'm going to need to get my hair done, my nails, my makeup! Stella and I are going to have to go shopping! I don't have a dress! Okay, don't stress Misa. You got this! You can do this!

Please pick up, Stella! Remember when I said Stella is there for me when it counts? Come on, Stella! Don't let me down now! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ALSO STAN THE JONAS BROTHERS & WATCH HAPPINESS CONTINUES ON AMAZON PRIME.


	32. stella

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS. Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I've haven't been in the mood to write with everything that's going on in the world. But for some reason, lately I felt up to it. Maybe it's because I saw another Kudos for this story in my emails. I'm surprised (and happy) that people are still reading this???? 
> 
> Anyways, here is the final part of "tuesday, june 16th" - It is set in Stella's POV. Hope you enjoy. Next chapter should be coming soon!

Stella’s POV

_sunday, june 14th - 4:30pm_

* * *

_ monday, june 15th - 5:30pm _

I was happy to finally be home. School today was already hectic - I've been working so hard with the school council to make sure this dance that we're hosting is going to be perfect. We finally have all the plans in place, figured out where all the money should go, making sure we bought everything and now everything is finally all set. I didn't even get to see Macy much today. She's been so busy with sports, and with my commitment to this council and this dance, I barely have time to see her. We facetime at home after school sometimes but still. Ugh, I feel bad. I usually meet with her after her practices, but she told me she understood that I was busy. I really didn't even get to talk with the boys much either. Just a quick hi and bye in the hallways but that was it. Joe literally texted me, telling me he missed me. To be honest, I can't wait for this dance to be over with so I can hang with my friends again. 

So, when I got home, I was so excited! I just wanted to relax and maybe watch my favourite show on Netflix, or see if Macy wanted to hang out, but then I remembered about Kevin's pants. So, I decided that after dinner, I was going to work on them.

"Thanks Aunt Lisa for dinner." 

"You're welcome Stella bell. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Doesn't the food taste much better when it's not killing innocent animals?" 

"Yeahhh. That tofu was not the _worst_ thing I tasted." I smiled, as I put away the last dinner plate.

She smiled, grabbing a container for the leftovers. She started putting it away as I worked on the dishes. 

"There, dishes are done." I added as I placed my hands on my hips, admiring all the work I just finished. 

Aunt Lisa smiled at me as she closed the Tupperware container. 

"Oh, by the way... one of your rock star friends dropped something off for you while you were in the shower. I left it in your room. He said it was - and I quote - "a fashion emergency." She chuckled, putting the leftovers in the fridge. 

"Oh, perfect! I'm glad Kevin didn't drop them off so late. I still have time to fix them. Thanks!" I beamed, walking out the kitchen, towards the stairs.

"No need to thank me... but how come you have to fix them? Doesn't he have a stylist to fix them or his mother at least?" She questioned, following me out the kitchen. 

"His mother? Aunt Lisa, how many times do I have to tell you? I _am_ their stylist." I complained, turning around to face her. 

"But are you getting paid for all that you do for them?" 

I started to bite my lip, nervously. 

"Yeah, their dad pays me! - _When he remembers."_ I muttered quietly to myself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Well good! He should be paying you! You shouldn't be working for free." She said, crossing her arms. "A young girl like you, working these long hours! You should at least be paid for your talents!" 

"Don't worry, Aunt Lisa. He pays me."

She looked at me suspiciously. By the look on her face, she wasn't satisfied. 

"I don't know, Stella. Maybe you should-" 

"Aunt Lisa!" I huffed, annoyed. 

"Okay, okay I'll drop it!" She finished, putting her hands up in surrender. 

"Anyway, I'll be up in my room if you need me." I smiled, placing my hand on her shoulder as I walked past her to the stairs.

As I was climbing up the stairs, mentally preparing myself for the disaster that awaited me, I felt a slight tug on my shirt. 

"Stella, honey, wait!" 

I stopped mid-step and turned around. Oh, no. Here we go. 

"Yes?"

"Stella, listen, I-I know I'm not your mother, I know I'm not the person you wish would be here with you..."

"Aunt Lisa, that's not true. I love having you here with me." I said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. 

She smiled, before continuing. 

"Stella, I know you've known those boys a long time..."

"Okay?" I replied, letting go of her hand. 

Where was she going with this?

"And I know you are really close with the middle child - what's his name?" She said thoughtfully, snapping her fingers. 

"Joe?"

"Yes, him. I just want you to be careful because those boys are rock stars. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Aunt Lisa, I've known the Lucas brothers since I was a baby. They are really sweet, down to earth guys. They're not going to hurt me."

Aunt Lisa shook her head with disapproval.

"And Joe and I are just friends. Well, we're like best friends. But that's it." I said matter-of-factly.

"I know honey, but it's not going to stay that way for long! You guys are getting older and well - boys and girls can't just be friends. Especially at your age! Odds are one of you is going to get hurt."

"Aunt Lisa, that's ridiculous! You don't need to worry about that!"

"Oh, but I do. Without your Mom around, I feel like I have to protect you - especially from those boys. I've dated rock stars in the past, I know how they are, Stella." She admitted.

I shook my head and crossed my arms. 

"Aunt Lisa, you only moved down here to Jersey to take care of me when I was a little girl, I'm not a little girl anymore. You don't have to worry so much!" 

"But your Mom expects me to look out for you! Especially since she can't be here as much as she would like to!" 

I could feel myself getting annoyed with this conversation. She honestly worries too much!

"Aunt Lisa, Mom trusts me to make my own decisions, why can't you?" I shot, crossing my arms.

"I do trust you, but I don't trust those boys! I care for you a lot, Stella bell. I don't want you to get your heart broken!"

"Well, just because you've dated a rock star and got your heart broken, doesn't mean it will happen to me!" I snapped. I felt so hurt that she would think Joe - the most amazing guy I've ever known - would break my heart. I felt so protective of him! She hardly knows him! How can she say that! 

"But there is always a possibility! I just trying to look out for you!"

"No! You just don't want anyone else to be happy and in love because you can't find it for yourself!" I scolded, feeling anger rise up in me. 

Aunt Lisa opened her mouth to respond but then closed it.

I felt so angry, I could feel it bubbling in me. I had too much going on at the moment- I haven't spoken to Macy in over a week, I haven't seen Joe much or even talked to my Mom in over 6 months! I did not need this nagging about my non-existent love life! 

"That's not true, Stella, I -" 

"And stop acting like you know what my Mom wants! You've always been jealous of Mom! She found a great guy at an early age, fell in love, got married, had a family. And what about you, Aunt Lisa?"

Aunt Lisa looked at me shocked.

"You moved to LA to be with your rock star boyfriend and left us when my Dad was sick to fend for ourselves. You knew we had no other family to help us or hardly any money for Dad's treatment, but you didn't care, you only cared about yourself!" 

"Stella bell-"

"No! You left us - over a stupid argument about how your rock star boyfriend was using you to help further his career - which my Mom happened to be right about! He took all your money and took off with it- when you could have lent some of your money for my Dad!"

"Stella, I-"

"You weren't there for us! But we were there for you! Mom had you move in here - not just to watch over me while Mom is at work. You were broke, had nowhere to live and no money to your name because he convinced you that your money was going to help make you guys successful, and you gave it to him, because you loved him, right?"

Tears started to pool and threatened to fall down from her eyes.

"So, don't act like you know everything there is to know about love! You choose that loser over your family that needed you! Over your family that you supposedly loved more than anything!"

Aunt Lisa looked down at the ground, sadly. She sniffled and started to wipe tears that were falling down her cheeks. I took one look at her face and snapped out of my anger instantly.

I can't believe I just said all of that. I guess I've been harboring these feelings for a long time... but it doesn't make it right to say what I just said to her. How could I be so cruel?

"Aunt Lisa-"

"No, it's fine. You're right." She replied, trying not to cry.

"I'm so sorry. I've shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it, any of it. I just have a lot on my plate with the dance and everything... I know it's not an excuse but-"

"Stella, you're right. I was jealous of your Mom. She was always Grandma and Papa's favourite. She always looked better than me, prettier than me, was always smarter than me. And when we had that argument, I felt like she was taking away the one good thing that happened to me. I thought maybe she didn't want me to be happy because so much was going on with her and your father. That she was jealous that I was going happy and in love and that I was going to be famous. But she was right."

She looked up at me, with tears that were threatening to fall. 

"I lived in LA all those years trying to make something of myself, but I couldn't keep a job, or a lover. I was just too ashamed to make amends with her, but I had no one else. And when your Dad died, I never forgave myself. I could have done more. And when I found out that you're Mom had so much going for her and you. I felt so happy for you guys, but sad because I wasn't there to see it. So, I contacted your Mom, after all that time and I knew that I had to make it right between us. We had a long and hard conversation and I realized that you're Mom loved me so much, Stella. She didn't want to see me get hurt by that guy and I did get hurt."

I frowned sadly.

"I've made a lot of mistakes when it comes to you and your Mom. But moving here to be with you - was the step in the right direction to make things right between us. I wanted to be there for you guys like I should have been before. Like your Mom was there for me. I want to be there for you, Stella bell. Can you ever forgive me?"

I looked at her, feeling the worst I ever felt in my life. She just wants to protect me. I should stop holding this grudge on what happened years ago. I should cut her some slack. I shouldn't be so selfish. 

I dropped my arms to my sides as she continued wipe her tears away. I let out a sigh then walked over to her, placing my hands on her shoulders.

"I'm so so sorry, Aunt Lisa. I've been the worst niece ever and I honestly don't deserve you. I totally forgive you. And I understand, Aunt Lisa. I appreciate everything you do for me. I really do. I hope that- you can forgive me too?"

"I've already did."

We both hugged each other tightly for a while before letting go.

"I'm glad this actually happened. This should have been talked about and handled a long time ago." She admitted. "Now, we can both move on."

"I agree but I really am sorry about what I said to you."

"It's alright, sweetheart. Honestly."

"Okay, and seriously, Aunt Lisa - don't worry about those boys, okay?" I said, reassuringly. 

She nodded back at me with a small smile.

"Now go, go do what you're born to do and fix those pants."

I laughed.

"What about you? Are you sure you're alright?" I asked, worried.

"I'm fine, Stella bell. I'm just going to go get some vegan ice cream and watch some Outlander. Now, go."

"Okay." 

I smiled while watching her walk to the kitchen. I then let out a long sigh and started walking back up the stairs to my room.

After that tiring conversation, I finally made it to my room, and pulled out all the supplies I needed to fix Kevin's pants. Needle, thread, sewing machine, patches. Okay, I'm all set to start fixing all the holes in Kevin’s jeans - honestly, that guys power slides way too much - when suddenly my Aunt Lisa called me from downstairs. 

“Stella!” 

“Yeah?” I replied. 

"You busy right now?" She asked, from the bottom of the stairs.

"Not really?" I said sarcastically, focusing on threading the needle. I huffed and tired again. 

“Well, whatever you're doing, stop and pick up the landline, your Mom is on hold!”

“What? Mom called!”

I dropped my needle and thread and ran to my night table to pick up my vintage pink rotary phone. Once I grabbed it, I quickly pushed the hold button and placed the phone to my ear, jumping onto my bed.

“Mom?”

**“Hey sweetie. Did I catch you at a bad time?”**

“No! I was just fixing Kevin’s pants, nothing new. How are you?”

**“I’m doing great, honey. Work has kept me so busy. I finally got a spare moment; thought I should check up on my girl.”**

“Aw Mom! And tell me about it, I feel like it’s a never-ending cycle with the boys. Clothes, concerts, and fangirls.” I replied, twirling the cord of my phone. 

**“They’re getting pretty famous, aren’t they? It funny to see how much they’ve grown. I remember how small they were. How close you all were.” She chuckled.**

“Yeah. We’re all still remarkably close. The only thing that's different is that I’m on their pay roll. Oh, and Macy." I laughed. 

**"Speaking of Macy, how is she doing? I know she was a huge fan of the boys. They're still going to your school, right? How is she handling it?" She questioned.**

"Yeah, they still go to my school, Mom. And Macy is doing great. Better than before, that's for sure. She was like their number one fan before, but now she's like part of our group. It's the best." I gushed. 

**"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. I'm happy that you're doing alright without me there. You know I also worry about you guys." She admitted.**

"I know, Mom. Don't worry though. I'm a big girl and I'm used to you being gone. Although I do miss you and would rather have you here with me, I understand." I assured. 

**"How's Aunt Lisa? She usually calls me, but I haven't heard from her in a while." She asked, curiously.**

"She's good, Mom. Still trying to find her passion but other than that, she's been good. Mom, I actually want to tell you something..." I mumbled. 

**"What is it, honey?"**

"Aunt Lisa and I got into a fight today... about Dad and everything."

**"What? Stella? Why now all of a sudden?"**

"I don't know, she was nagging me about Joe and how he's a rock star and- it wasn't my best moment. I'll admit."

Mom then sighed over the phone.

**"Stella, I know that you've always held some judgement and anger towards Aunt Lisa, and I understand why, but what happened didn't involve you. It wasn't for you to worry about. It was between Aunt Lisa and I."**

"I know that now, Mom."

**"But it's normal to feel these feelings Stella, why didn't you tell anyone about them sooner?"**

"I don't know. I guess I just kept these feelings inside for a long time. I didn't think it would make a difference to talk about it."

**"But it did make a difference, didn't it?"**

"Yes. I feel like there is no tension between us now. That we fully understand each other."

**"Stella, your Aunt Lisa loves you. She always has and will never stop loving you. That's all that matters to me. What happened in the past, is in the past."**

"And it will stay there, Mom. Don't worry."

**"Good. I don't want my two favourite girls fighting anymore."**

"We're good now, don't worry."

**"Okay. I love you guys, so much. You know that?"**

"I love you too, Mom. I really miss you. I can't wait to see you." 

**"Well, you shouldn't be waiting too much longer. I should be home in the next month or so, just in time to fill me in on all the gossip and scandal." She laughed.**

"Really! Oh my god!" I squealed. 

**"Yes really! So, how's your Stellavator going?" She asked, changing the subject.**

"Great! I just added this new option for the boys and..."

"Finally! Done. All 8 pant's repaired." I said, shutting off my sewing machine.

I was happy to finally be done. I sighed happily and started to clean up my workstation and put everything away into its proper place. Once I was done that, I grabbed my phone and went downstairs to wind down for a bit before bedtime. When I got down there, I noticed that my Aunt Lisa was no where to be found. She probably went into her room to work on her homework. She's always getting into different types of programs at Montclair State University - her latest one was hairstyling, but she quit that one right away. And I'm glad that she did - my hair was so fried and the colour she changed it too. It took months to fix. Don't get me started.

Drawing was always my favourite down time activity. I walked over to the computer desk and pulled out my sketch book and pencils crayons and started sketching a new design. I let out a sigh. 

I couldn't stop thinking about that argument Aunt Lisa and I had. I can't believe I was so selfish and didn't just talk to her about it. Instead, I let it fester all these years. I'm not happy about how it came out, but I am glad that we talked about it, so we can move on. As I was sketching in my sketch book, my cell started ringing. Thinking it was Macy, I grabbed the phone quickly and saw Joe's caller ID. Not who I was expecting but I'll take it. 

“Hey Joe, what’s up?”

**_“Hey Stells. Not much. There’s just something I wanna ask you…”_ **

Ask me something? Like what? Well, there is a dance coming up... maybe...

“Sure, what is it, Joe? You know you can ask me anything.”

**_“Okay, but you might wanna be sitting down for this…”_ **

Grr, he can be so annoying sometimes. I packed up my sketching stuff and started to make my way to my room. 

“Come on, Joe! Out with it, already! What is it that you need to ask me?”

**_“Do you have any plans this summer?”_ **

“What?” I asked, as I reached my room. 

**_“You might need to cancel them if you do…”_ **

Where is he going with this?

“Joe, what are you trying to tell me?” I rolled my eyes as I walked in and turned on the light.

 ** _"Oh_** , ** _I don’t know… only the greatest news ever!”_**

“News? What news?” I asked, walking over to my bed. 

**_"We’re going on tour, Stella! Dad confirmed it and everything! Expect to hear a call from him very soon.”_ **

“Oh… " I said sadly, as I sat onto my bed. 

How come I feel so sad? This is exciting news, right? I mean, I get to travel with the guys and make a lot more money then normal so why do I feel... disappointed. Maybe... deep down, I was hoping he called to... ask me to the dance. Why did I even get my hopes up? I don't like Joe that way! And besides, I know Joe. Even if he did ask me to be his date it would only be as friends. Because that's what we are, best friends. This is silly. 

_If it's so silly, why do you feel like your heart just broke?_

Grrr! No. It's fine. IT'S FINE. 

_"Stella?"_

"I mean- Oh, my god! Wait - did you say a summer tour? That’s still actually happening! We never done a summer tour before!” I recovered, picking at the lint on my comforter. 

Smooth Stella. 

**_"I know! We always go traveling during the summer! I guess this year we’ll be traveling in a different way.”_ **

“Wow! I have so many wardrobe idea’s for you guys! And your stage outfits! Ah, I’m so excited!” I smile, thinking about all my designs. 

**_“Same Stella, same.”_ **

“Wow, this summer is going to be so awesome! I wonder what other amazing things might happen?” 

Really though, I wonder. This tour is going to be so awesome, and I'm sure it'll be like one we'll never forget. Maybe Macy can come with us this time... IF her Mom let's her. Who knows, maybe I'll meet a cute guy while we tour around. 

**_"I_** **_have no idea. Oh, and Stells! Dad said we’re allowed to bring some friends with us on tour. Do you think Macy will want to come? I know both me and my brothers would love to have her tag along this time.”_**

I smiled. Joe literally just read my mind. 

“I’m sure she’d love to come. I’ll talk to her about it. In fact, I hope she comes, to be honest. She’ll help me even out the odds.”

**_“Ha ha. Funny. You know you love coming on tour with us, don’t lie.”_ **

“I really do, actually.” I sighed, happily. It was the best moments of my life. 

**_“Cool. Anyway, Stella-”_ **

But before Joe could finish what he was saying, my phone started beeping, telling me someone was else was trying to call me. Oh, it's Macy!

“Oh, speaking of Macy! She’s calling me on the other line. Is it cool if we talk more about this tomorrow?

**_“Yeah, of course.”_ **

If I didn't know any better, he sounded... kind of... disappointed to get off the phone. 

“Okay, bye Joe. Night.”

**_"See ya.”_**

I changed the line to Macy and smiled, upon hearing her voice. 

**_"Oh, thank god you answered!"_ **

I laughed, as I laid down onto my stomach. 

"Macy, is everything alright?"

**_"I have a date to the dance..."_ **

"REALLY?" I gasped, sitting up quickly.

**_"Yeah, I do. It's actually-"_ **

"Wait! Can I guess?" I asked quickly.

**_"Um okay?"_ **

"Logan from Second Period?" 

**_"Uh-"_ **

"No, no! It's Adam from you're gym class, right?" I suggested.

**_"Nope, not him. It's actually Nick."_ **

"Nick from Algebra?" Oh, he's alright looking!

**_"No, Nicholas Lucas, 1/3 of Jonas?"_ **

"What? Really! Nick - Nick?" I repeated, shocked. 

**_"Yup."_ **

How come Macy got a Lucas boy to ask her to the dance and I didn't?? Hmm. Maybe something really is going on with Nick and Macy. I smirked. 

"Since when? I thought you guys were _just_ friends?" I teased, remembering our conversation that one day. 

**_"We are! We're ONLY going as friends. Nick and I have become really close, but we don't like each other that way."_ **

"Okay, okay! But - it is okay if you _did_ happen to like each other that way, you know? We - as in the rest of us - wouldn't care." I teased. 

**_"Well, if we're going to go there, then I could say the same thing about you and Joe!" She shot back. "We wouldn't care." She mocked._ **

"Macy! You know that I - um - we-" I started to stutter nervously. 

She laughed at my stuttering. How can she imply such a thing? I know that I use to like Joe when I was younger but not anymore. We're best friends, she knows that. She just likes to tease me. Gosh, I hate this feeling in my stomach. Go away butterflies. 

"So then, what made you change you're mind about the dance?" I asked, trying to change the subject. 

**_"Nick and I had a good conversation about it, and he convinced me to go with him, so we didn't end up with crappy dates."_ **

"What? I would have never let that happen to you, Macy! You know that! I can easily find you an eligible bachelor!" I pouted. 

**_"I know Stella but listen, to be honest, I didn't want to go because you've been so crazy about this dance lately. It didn't seem fun anymore. Plus, I really didn't want to be hooked up with some random guy from our school just so I can I go to the dance."_ **

"Macy, I really didn't know you felt that way. I thought maybe you would have liked having a night of romance?" I asked, confused. 

**_"Of course, but with everything that's been going on lately, I just felt that having a nice night with my friends, would have been enough."_ **

Oh, crap. I'm a terrible friend, aren't I? I'm seriously not the best person today. 

"I must have really embarrassed you the other day, huh?" I realized. 

**_"Yeah, you did Stella. I really don't like when you act like this. It's worries me that you'll sight of what's important. Our friendship, not some silly night of teenage romance."_ **

"I'm sorry, Macy. Sometimes I just get caught up with things and I don't realize that what I'm doing can affect other people. I never meant to make you feel that way." I apologized. 

**_"I know you don't, but I thought I should tell you. We never keep secrets from each other."_ **

"That's true.... so then can I ask you something?"

**_"Of course."_ **

"Have you really been super busy with sports or have you been avoiding me?" I asked, waiting for an answer. 

She sighed. 

**_"Both. I have been really busy but yes, I needed some space. You were driving me kind of mad, not going to lie."_**

"Okay, that's fair. I'm really sorry again, Macy. Truly." 

**_"I am too. I should have just told you from the beginning. No more secrets, okay?"_ **

"Deal. Sooooo, now that- that's out of the way! Let's talk about what you are going to wear! Do you want me to help you find something? I am an expert stylist!" 

**_"Uh, yes! I thought you'd never ask!"_ **

Today didn't turn out like how I expected it. I didn't expect that fight between me and my aunt. I didn't expect to hear from Joe or Macy but I'm glad I did. And I learned a valuable lesson today, if something is bothering you, or if you have an issue with someone, don't be afraid to tell that person. If they love you, you should be able to talk things through. No more secrets or long-time grudges for this girl. 

There is so much to look forward to in the next few months and I'm excited! One thing I know for sure - is that this summer is going to one for the history books. 


	33. wednesday, june 16th: the turning point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> right person, wrong time; type of love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wanted to clear some things up so it's not confusing going forward...
> 
> I recently re-watched JONAS/JONAS LA with my 10 year old cousin because she is like obsessed with The Jonas Brothers (maybe even more than me) & wanted to watch the show with me. I didn't mind, because it was a good refresher for me. But as I was watching, I noticed there are a few things that I forgot about the story line with the other character's families:
> 
> (But to be fair, we didn't get to see anyone else's parents other than The Lucas Brothers. But some did get mentioned, here and there.
> 
> To start: In the show, Stella does indeed have a Mom that is in her life & Aunt Lisa in introduced because they wanted an adult to stay with the girls in LA so they're not alone with the boys. But in my story, Stella's Mom is always MIA because of her job. Aunt Lisa actually lives with Stella in Jersey because her Mom is never around. She moved from LA to Jersey to watch over her. They also never mention Stella's Dad so I came up with and idea for that.
> 
> & with Macy - her parents are probably together in the show. (It was never stated otherwise) but in my story, they are not together anymore.
> 
> The writers did mention Macy's Mom owned a thrift store called "Misa's Pieces", which Macy works in sometimes, which I did add to the story. Also in season 2, Macy talked about having a big golf family & that her Mom taught her golf. She also said that she's lived around boys for years - hence her having brothers. But so far I've only introduced her younger brother- Liam.
> 
> When I started this story, I did make it clear that it was inspired by episode 6 from Season 1 & this story is the continuation of how I thought the story should have continued, etc. It is not exactly the same as the show because it's my interruption & ideas. I hope this does not confuse people who remember every detail of the show. Going forward, I'll try to stay close to the original as much as possible but some things might be changed to go with the story line I have came up with. If I can, I will add things that stay true to the written characters and their families but while still following MY original story line.
> 
> Anyway, that's it. Thanks for reading my story!

Macy's POV

While I was on the phone with Stella, we decided to go to the mall after school to go find me a dress. She said that her Aunt Lisa could take us, since my Mom is busy with the store. I agreed, it is the most logical choice. Since we hate taking the public bus to the mall. We also decided that we should help get each other ready at my house the night of the dance. Stella is good at the dressing up part and I'm good at the make up. It's a win win situation for both of us.

By the time I hung up with her, it was so late that I went straight to bed, finally feeling excited about the dance since the first time I heard about it. I woke up for school the next day, still excited. That morning, I quickly got ready, said bye to my Mom, and caught the bus. As I walked into school, my phone vibrated in my skirt pocket, I saw who it was the moment I pulled it out of my pocket - Stella.

Hmm? I wonder what it's about? We talked about everything we needed to talk about last night? Shrugging my shoulders, I quickly grabbed my books for first period out of my locker and met her at hers. 

"Hey Stells!"

"Hey, finally, you're here!" She smiled, shutting her locker door, while holding her books. 

"What's up?" I asked, pocketing my phone. 

"Well, I've been thinking... I know this dance is supposed to be a romantic night between couples but..."

"But?" I prompted. 

"But I realized that I'm not really into the whole thing anymore. I mean - it's a good concept for the dance though-" 

The first bell rang as we started making our way to our classes.

"Oh? But don't you have a date already?" I questioned. 

"No, I didn't find the time to get one. I've been so busy setting up the damn thing, I didn't find a date yet. It's too late now anyway, to be honest." 

"Really? No one asked you out?" I asked, shocked. 

"I know, right!" Stella fake pouted. 

I chuckled, standing with Stella in front of her class.

"I just don't want a _date_ anymore... I kind of want what you have..." She admitted, tucking some hair behind her ear. "You know, just go with a friend. No stress. Less pressure." 

Well, the dance _is_ coming up quick. I smirked, knowing the perfect solution to this little problem. 

"Well, you could just ask Joe. I don't think he has a date yet."

"J-Joe?"

"Yeah, Joe - as in Joe Lucas."

I laughed at her flushed face. 

"I mean - it's not a bad idea." I continued. "You won't feel any pressure to be all romantic. No stress, like you said." 

Stella stayed silent for a moment, thinking.

"Well... you and Nick _are_ going together as friends." She said thoughtfully, trying not to blush. 

"Yeah, it'll be fun. All of us hanging out, dancing, enjoying the night." I added with a wink, trying to convince her. 

"Well, Joe and I _are_ just friends - so, that means no commitment for romance... right?" She acknowledged again.

"Right." 

"Should I wait and see if he asks me? Or should I maybe leave some hints?"

"Why waste time? I doubt he would recognize them anyway, even if the hint was very obvious." I smirked.

"Yeah, you're right. Joe is oblivious." She said, rolling her eyes. 

_He's not the only one._

"Why don't you just straight up ask him - that way there's no confusion." I advised. 

She nodded, agreeing. 

"Plus, it's not like he's going to say no. He _loves_ spending time with you." I teased. 

A faint blushed came to her face. 

"Um- uh - yeah! Right! Of course, he does!" She finished confidently. "Why wouldn't he?"

I chuckled, checking the time on my phone.

"Okay, I'll ask him at lunch time."

I put my phone away and we smiled at each other, before the second and final bell rang, telling us that class was starting.

"Great idea!" I approved. "I got to go though; I'll see you soon!"

I then started to speed walk to my class. Thank god it was just a few classes down the hall. I really hope I'm not too late. Mr. Lee will hate me for sure. 

"But wait, Macy! What if he says no?" 

* * *

Joe's POV

"Does anyone else smell coffee?" Nick asked, shutting his locker door, holding his books.

Ignoring my brother, I stuck my head into my locker - all drowsy, and pulled out Dad's travel mug that I stole, along with my books. 

"Yeah, I smell it too. Weird." Kevin agreed, sniffing the air around him. "Is that French Vanilla?"

I took another sip of my travel mug, ignoring them. I'm so tired. I can't deal with them right now.

"Uh, Joe? Why do you have a coffee mug?" Nick asked, confused, eyeing the travel mug in my hands. 

"Hey! That's Dads!" Kevin pointed out, grabbing at my travel mug. 

I pulled my arm away from him before he could grab it. I then shut my locker door, annoyed. 

"He's probably looking for it and you took it." Kevin scolded. _"Someone's on the naughty list this year."_

"Shhhhh. Kevin." I shush him. He's too loud for my ears. 

Nick chuckles next to me and places his hand on my shoulder. 

"Joe - I'm going to be honest, because you're my brother and you deserve my utmost honesty..."

I rolled my eyes while bringing the mug to my nose to sniff the aroma. Hoping it will wake me up more. It doesn't. 

"You look like crap, dude." 

"Rude." 

"But - _true._ " He adds. I was only able to cover one of my ears as the first bell rings, too loudly, I might add. No matter what, I can't drop this coffee, I need it. Badly. 

"Well, for your information, I didn't sleep well last night." I scowled. 

"And why is that?" Nick asks, crossing his arms with a smirk. 

Kevin then shuts his locker door. I grumble at the loudness of it. 

"Couldn't fall asleep. Too much on my mind." I replied, as I started to walk to class.

Kevin and Nick join me, walking to our classes. 

"Oh? Are you stressing about a test?" Kevin inquired. "We do have those still." 

"No." 

"The tour?" Nick suggests. I shook my head. Definitely not. I'm excited for the tour!

"I know! I got it!" Kevin exclaimed, as we came up to the Kevin's class.

I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for his ridiculous answer. 

"Isn't it obvious?"

Nick and I are silent, waiting for him to spit it out.

"Girl troubles." Kevin speculated. 

"Hey, yeah, Kev. You might be right. The last thing we talked about before we all went to sleep was about _\- You know who._ " Nick teased, eyeing me up, waiting for my reaction. 

"Oh, you mean Joe's compilated love affair with Lord Voldemort?" Kevin joked.

"Well, she does remind me of him sometimes - weird sense of fashion, vain attitude- "

"Let's not forget when she's angry. It's like dark _dark_ magic." Kevin added. 

Nick and Kevin started to laugh. I groaned at them before starting to walk away to my class, with Nick following behind me. They just don't get it. 

"Uh, okay? Bye guys!" Kevin calls out, confused. "See you at lunch!"

"Come on, Joe. Wait, stop! Hold on a minute!" Nick pled, trying to keep up.

"Gosh, Nick, what!" I snapped. "You obviously have nothing nice _or_ relevant to say! So, leave me alone!" 

"Listen, we're sorry, okay? I get it. Your feelings for Stella... it's complicated." He remarked. "We shouldn't have pushed or poked fun." 

I stared at him for a minute before letting out a sigh. 

"It's okay. I know I tease you a lot too. So, I guess that makes us even."

Nick smiles and gestures for us to start walking again.

"It's just - I'm just annoyed with myself. I don't know what I should do... I really want to go with her to the dance as more than friends but I'm afraid to ask her... I don't want to get my hopes up or get rejected - and also don't want to ruin - never mind, it's stupid." 

"No, it's not. Stop putting yourself down like that, Joe. It's completely normal, what you're feeling. It's not stupid to be scared about being in love with someone - especially if that someone _is_ your best friend." 

I sighed again while crossing my arms, and finally reached my class. 

"Joe, just ask her to the dance. Tell her you want to enjoy it to the fullest. Romance and all."

"What if I ask her, and she only wants to go as friends?"

"If she just wants to go with you as friends, you'll just have to accept that, Joe."

"Well, what if she says that she has a date already?"

"Then you go with someone else. Yeah, it will suck but at least you guys are still on good terms. You can always try to tell her how you feel another time."

"Okay. Let's say I do tell her how I feel... what if she says that she _only_ wants to be friends?"

Nick stood there quiet for a moment, staring out into space, before speaking up again.

"Then nothing changes, because you want that too, right?"

I look at my brother confused. No, I want more with her? Is he even listening to me?

"You'd rather have her in your life as a friend, then nothing at all. To still be in each other's lives..."

I look down at the floor, understanding. 

"And trust me, of course, it will hurt, and your heart will be broken. But you'll get over it and you and her will be like you always were. Joe and Stella - partners in crime. You and her against the world. _Best friends._ "

"What if.... Stella and I _do_ get together but then things don't work out and we don't come back from it?"

"That won't happen, Joe. Stella loves you. She's been in our lives for long time and she's not going anywhere. She wouldn't abandon you and your friendship. You'd make it work. Or we would need a new stylist." 

"Don't joke, Nick."

"Kay, sorry. Too far."

"But what if-"

"Joe, listen. I know it's scary, but you'll never know, unless you put yourself out there. You don't want to go living the rest of your life with regret, knowing that you didn't at least be honest with her. You also don't want to be the guy who secrets loves his best friend while she's happy with someone else..."

I frowned at him. I would HATE that. 

"And yeah, there is a chance to mess things up between you two, but that's a risk you just got to take. So, stop with the what if's and go for it already!" Nick advised. 

Nick then suddenly froze up, staring out into space. I raised my eyebrows at him, confused before I started to think over everything he said.

He's right. I'll never know if I don't give it a shot. And if things don't work out, it'll be fine. We will be fine. I will always be there for her. Stella means the world to me. And I won't let her go, even if things don't work out. We'll make it work, like Nick said. 

After a few seconds of thinking it over, I nodded my head, agreeing with his advice.

"Wow, Nick. You're right. How did you become so good at this?"

Nick snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at me.

"At what? Love advice? Well, it's because I had experience with these types of things. I have had a lot of complicated relationships - or did you forget?

"Of yeah! How could I forget? First there was Ashley, then Emily, then there was pretty Penny-"

"The point is - these relationships never worked out, mostly due to the fact that I never thought things through before jumping in." 

"Yeah, and that's why all our #1 songs are about break ups. Thank god you keep having them or we'd be all out of material." I tease.

"I'm glad my non-existent love life humors you." Nick grumbles. 

I chuckled before becoming somber. 

"Just to be clear- jumping in as in... taking a risk, right?" 

"Stupidly, yes."

"Is it stupid, wanting to be with her? Is all of this worth it? Is it worth the risk? "

"Joe-" He placed his hand on my shoulder. "When I dated those girls, I never figured out what my feelings really meant. I could never tell if it was love or just infatuation. I didn't think things through and got hurt in the process. But with you and Stella, it's different. You know your feelings. You _love_ her. You've always did. And to me, that's worth the risk. True _love_ is always worth the risk. So, no. It's not stupid." 

"That should be our next song - _love is worth the risk_ or _love is risky._ " I laugh.

Nick narrows his eyes at me with an annoyed look. I held my hands up in surrender. I chuckled as Nick smirks back at me.

"Thanks Nick." I say, as the last bell rings. "Seriously. I'll ask her to the dance during lunch."

Nick nods, before starting to speed walk down the hall.

"No problem, bro! Got to go though or Mr. Lee will have my head!" 

* * *

Stella's POV

"Alright class, enjoy your lunch break."

Finally! It felt like this chemistry class was never going to end. Not going to lie, learning the Periodic table is not _that_ terrible, especially when you can put the elements together to make it say something like: you are a CuTe. I feel like that was the only thing I took from that class, to be honest. 

Once we were finally dismissed by the lunch bell, I went to my locker to put my books away. I pulled out my packed lunch and ran into Macy. We pulled into a empty part of the hallway to talk.

"Macy, I'm going to try and catch Joe at his locker. Hopefully he's alone. Wish me luck."

"Good luck, girl. Not like you're going to need it, though. See you soon!" She smiled, making her way to our spot. 

I felt a small blush creep to my face. You got this, Stella. It's just Joe. Like Macy said, it's not like he's going to say no. I took a deep breath and started making my way to his locker.

Once I turned down the hallway the boys locker's were at, I saw Joe, Nick and Kevin, putting their things away, while talking about god knows what. I hid myself behind the wall to not be seen, opened my phone, and pulled up Joe's name. 

I rolled my eyes. Really Joe? If he's not thinking about music or his sense of style, he's thinking about food. That's Joe for you. 

I pocketed my phone and watched as Nick and Kevin talked to Joe, probably asking him why he wasn't ready to leave. He dismissed them, telling them to go on ahead.

They looked at each other with a confused expression before deciding to just leave him and make their way to our spot. Joe then put his hands in his pockets and turned around to face his locker.

He looked... nervous maybe? Oh my god. Now I'm getting nervous. Why though? It's just two friends talking for a minute... it's not like we haven't talked in private before. 

I let out a nervous breath. Okay, here I go.

Just as I was about to start walking over there, I stopped myself. Maybe I should wait a few minutes? Joe doesn't know I'm already this close to his locker. For all he knows, I'm still at mine. Yeah, I'll wait for a few minutes. 

I just stood there, watching him fidget around. Opening his locker door, looking inside, then closing it. He fumbled around with his watch on his wrist, then ran his hands through his hair. He's looks so cute when he's flustered.

But wait... why is he flustered? It's just me?

Okay, focus! I've waited long enough, I think. I finally decided to start moving towards his locker but just as I was about to start walking towards him, Angelina called out to Joe, snapping him out of his thoughts. I quickly hid behind the closest wall, so I could hear. 

"Hey, Joe." She said, smiling.

"Angelina? Hey." He replied, confused. "How are you?"

Maybe he thought it was me calling him? What is she even doing talking to Joe? They haven't talked since the "whole Joe trying to impress her" thing. I furrowed my brows, getting a little annoyed. I know they're friends but like, not on a talking basis. She just had to come NOW???

"I'm good. Just about to go eat some lunch."

Joe smiled politely. 

I rolled my eyes. Yeah, what else should you be doing? It is lunch period. Should I just go over there and interrupt them?

"How about you? Aren't you going to go have some lunch?"

Joe just probably noticed how weird he looks like right now, standing alone at his locker, with out his brothers. Now he has to explain himself, and to her no less. 

"Yeah, in a bit. Just waiting for Stella to meet me." 

"Oh?" She said with a slight frown, but it disappeared before Joe could even notice. "Well, I'll make this quick then."

Joe looked at her with a confused expression. Angelina confidently flipped some of her hair behind her shoulder before speaking up.

"I was just wondering... do you have a date for the dance yet?"

My heart stopped beating for a second. I opened my mouth up in shock. Are. You. Kidding. Me?

"Oh!" He replied, a bit surprised. It looked like didn't know how to answer but Joe's an honest guy. He's not going to lie. 

"Um- I don't actually." He said with a nervous chuckle, running his hands through his hair.

"Really? That's surprising!" She teased.

Joe let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I was wondering... do you maybe want to go together?"

"To the dance?"

"Uh- yeah." She clarified with a smirk. "I know, it's last minute but I just thought it would be fun... maybe." 

Joe started to rub the back of his neck, all nervous.

"Angelina, I would love to-"

Not want to hear anymore, I turned around quickly, pushed myself off the wall and started making my way to our spot. I didn't want to wait and hear his response because I know what it is already. He's going to say yes. I know he will.

He's always found Angelina cute. He still does. He likes to reminisce about the whole situation with his brothers, when he thinks I can't hear. Which is fine. Honestly, I have nothing against Angelina.

She's smart, pretty and talented. Like me. I can't hate a girl who has those qualities. I can't hate someone for being who they are. But... I honestly did hate the fact that she treated Joe like crap without getting to know him.

How could she just judge him without getting to know him. That always bothered me! Joe is a great guy, and I would know! And for her to make up her mind about him before even getting to know him, shows what kind of person she is. I know she apologized, they made up and everything but still.

Oh well, I guess I could just go by myself, I did plan the whole thing, why do I need a date? It'll be fine. I can actually use the time I'm there to make sure things go smoothly, and that everyone is having a great time. Yeah. I shook my head, pushing the upcoming thoughts in my head away.

I finally made my way to our usual spot. Nick, Kevin and Macy were already there, talking enthusiastically about something. Nick and Kevin didn't even notice me coming. Which is surprising, but I'm not mad about it … not this time. 

Macy noticed me coming with a smile on her face but then it dropped to a frown just as quick. She obviously realized that it didn't pan out. I was arriving by myself, with no smiling Joseph next to me.

I slid next to her at our table and started unpacking my lunch. She placed her hand on my shoulder with a small frown.

"Later."

She nodded quickly, took her hand off my shoulder and turned her attention back to Nick and Kevin's conversation.

I took a bite out of my lunch and tried to push this whole thing to the back of my mind. Because why think about it? If Joe wants to go with her, who am I to stop him? It's not like we were going to go together as a couple, right? We would go just as friends.

Just as...friends. 

* * *

Joe's POV

What is going on right now? All I know is - Stella asked to meet me at my locker, saying that she had something to ask me but she's literally taking forever.

Not going to lie though, after reading that text message, I honestly felt my stomach fill with excitement. Was she going to ask me to the dance? If that's really what she wanted to ask me... I would have been so happy.

Of course, it could be about anything, really. 

I've been waiting for over 5 mins now and Stella was still a no show. But when I heard my name being called, I turned around, hoping to see Stella's beautiful face but it wasn't her... it was Angelina?

Before I knew it, we were having small talk. She started to ask me how I was doing, what I was doing by my locker... what is _she_ even doing here? 

"Well, I'll make this quick then."

I looked at Angelina with a confused expression. What is happening right now? Where's Stella?

Angelina confidently flipped some of her hair behind her shoulder before asking me to the dance. ME. They guy she blew off many months ago for apparently being a big rock star jerk. 

I feel my body tense up.

For the first time ever, I'm actually annoyed that a pretty girl asked me out. It's not the girl I want. Angelina is great, really. But after that whole "not giving me a chance because I'm a star" fiasco. I kind of got over it and her. We're friends but... no. 

"Oh!" I replied, a bit surprised. How the hell do I answer this? 

Okay, I could say I have a date already... even though I don't. But then I would have a good reason to ask Stella to the dance. She could get Angelina off my back.

**_"Just ask her to the dance. Tell her you want to enjoy it to the fullest. Romance and all."_ **

Damn it, Nick. I can't lie to Angelina. Then she would be right about me. That's a jerk move. And I can't use Stella like that either. The truth it is then. 

"Um- I don't actually." I answered finally with a nervous chuckle, running my hands through my hair.

Angelina looked at me with a slight shocked expression. What? What is so surprising about that? I know most of the girls at this school want to date me but that doesn't mean I want the same thing, Angelina.

"Really? That's surprising!" She teased.

I let out a small fake chuckle, hoping she'd drop the subject. Is Stella even coming anymore? What's taking her so long?

"Well, I was wondering... do you maybe want to go together?"

I cringed so hard. I knew this was coming. Man.

"To the dance?" I clarified, trying to buy some time, for Stella to get here.

"Uh- yeah. I know, it's last minute but I just thought it would be fun... maybe." 

I started to rub the back of my neck, nervously. 

"Angelina, I would love to-"

"But?" 

"But uh, I-" 

She raised her eyebrows at me, waiting for my response.

Do I let her down easy or flat out tell her the truth? Well, she had no problem telling the truth about how she felt about me. Should I show her the same curtesy? 

"It's okay, Joe. You can be honest with me."

"Well to be honest Angelina, I had planned on asking someone to the dance, and I really want to go with them." I admitted. "Sorry." 

Angelina just stood there with a blank expression, digesting my answer. After a few seconds of silence, she snapped out of her thoughts. 

"Oh, I get it."

Wow, great. I pretty much told her that she's not good enough to go with me. That's not what I meant though, I just have someone in mind to take. It is a romantic dance after all. I suddenly felt so guilty, I felt like I was going to throw up. Great, it's like our whole fight all over again.

"Sorry Angelina! If I made you upset, I’m-" 

"No, it's fine, Joe. I understand, really." She laughed, placing her hand on my arm. "I hope she says yes. You deserve it." 

"Um - thanks Angelina." I smile at her. "I'll see you at the dance?"

She gave me a small smile back. "Yeah. See you around."

She then turned away from me and walked away, towards the cafeteria.

I let out a loud sigh and pulled my phone out of my pocket. No text from Stella. Weird. After shoving my phone back into my pocket, I turned towards my locker, quickly grabbed my packed lunch and fast walked to our usual table. 

Hopefully, Stella is still there. If I have time before lunch ends, I will pull Stella aside and finally ask her to the dance. Nick is right. I just have to go for it. Hopefully, it all doesn't blow up in my face.

* * *

Stella POV

"Hey guys."

"Joe, what took you so long?" Nick asked, chucking him a water bottle.

"Thanks."

"Well?" Kevin pressured. 

"Oh, it was nothing. I was supposed to meet up with someone in the beginning of lunch, but they never showed."

"Oh." Kevin chuckled, turning back to his lunch.

An awkward vibe fell over the table. I think everyone can tell something is up, they just don't know what. I don't really know anymore, to be honest. I could feel Joe's eyes on me, but I kept my eyes on my salad, not looking up.

Wow, Joe got here within record time, so he was talking to Angelina for a least another 2 minutes before arriving to our spot. He must have agreed right away and split with her. Whatever. 

"So, guys, are you excited for the dance?" Macy spoke up happily, hoping to start some sort of conversation. 

"Yup." Nick said nonchalantly, cleaning up his lunch. Macy smiled. 

"Oh yeah! It's coming up quick, huh?" Kevin replied with a smile. "I should remind my date." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

"You got a date, Kevin?" Macy asked curiously. "Who is it? Is it someone we know?"

I smirked, taking a sip of my water. Macy still hasn't changed much. Still nosey about the Lucas Brothers love lives.

"Not really, but you all will meet her at the dance." Kevin assured with a wink. 

"Can't wait." Macy laughed.

"Hey, we're all going together, right? Carpool? I can drive us." Kevin suggested while eating away at his apple.

"Yeah obviously, I don't think Mom would let us go separately anyway." Nick pointed out. 

Kevin nodded in agreement. Joe kept silent, eating some of his lunch. I could feel Macy's head turning with ideas about how to keep the conversation going. Nick just sat there, looking between Joe and I and at Macy. He probably knows somethings up, but Nick never likes to get involved with any kind of drama, so he didn't say anything.

"Stella, we're still getting ready together, right? My house?" 

"Oh, yeah. That's a definite must. Who else is going to do my make up?" I reasoned. Macy chuckled, zipping up her bag. 

What? Is it that time already? Everyone was packing up, throwing out garbage, checking their phones one last time.

"Great, so the guys and I will pick you girls up at Macy's." Kevin finalized, cleaning up his spot.

"Sounds good." Macy replied with a smile, getting out of her seat. 

I looked at the clock on my phone. Yup, got about 10 minutes left of break. I'm sure Macy is dying to know what happened. Maybe we can talk about it at my locker.

"Hey Macy, walk with me to my locker?" I ask, making my way out from under table.

"Sure." She agrees, standing next to me.

"Bye guys, see you later!" Kevin called out, leaving. 

"Bye Kev!" We called back. 

Nick is still sitting at the table, typing away on his phone. Who knows what or who he's texting? I don't really want to know, to be honest. I just want to get out of here before- 

"Hey, Stella-"

"Hey Stells-" 

I turn around and see both Joe and Van Dyke standing next to me. I feel myself tense up, looking at the both of them. What the hell? They both look at each other, confused. Nick then joins us, standing next to Joe with his arms crossed. Van Dyke decided to speak up first. 

"Um- Stella, Hey." Van said with a sly smirk.

"Hi." I replied, confused on what is going on. 

"I wanted to catch you before you left, I have something I've been meaning to talk to you about." He admits, shoving himself closer to me. 

"Oh, okay. What about?" 

"Well, I know that the dance is coming up, and a little birdy told me you don't have a date to it, yet. I was wondering - well...want to go with me?" 

I literally fell myself freeze in shock. I could hear Macy let out a small gasp. I could feel everyone's eyes staring at me, waiting for me to answer. I look over at Joe and try to see his reaction. It's just as shocked as mine is. 

You know, younger Stella would be freaking out right now. I used to like Van Dyke, it's true. He's tall, handsome, some what smart, fit. But that was so long ago and honestly, I don't feel the same way anymore. Especially since he gives Macy such a hard time when they do sports together. 

But... Joe already has a date. And well, he was like first and last choice I had. I have no one else I would rather go with. Van Dyke could be a good replacement. It's better then going by myself, right? I know I said I'd be okay with it, but let's be honest. Watching Joe with Angelina and Nick with Macy and Kevin with his date. It would have killed me. I - I...

"Okay." I answered before I could stop myself. 

"Yeah?" He asked, excitedly.

I could feel Macy grab at my uniform shirt, trying to get my attention. Nick looks kind of shocked and Joe, has no expression whatsoever. He probably doesn't even care that I'm going with him. 

"Yeah, I'll go with you." I confirmed. 

"Oh, great! I've been honestly turning down girls left and right, just so I could go with you. I really wanted to go with you, so I'm glad you said yes."

I fake smile at Van Dyke. He seems so happy that I said yes. How long has he been planning to ask me?

"I'll pick you up! Does 7:30ish sound good?" Van Dyke asks, while readjusting his bag.

"Yeah. I'll be at Macy's house getting ready." I explain quickly, sending him a small smile.

"Cool, just text me her address. See you then." He purred, grabbing my hand that was placed at my side and started kissing it.

What the- I was not expecting him to do that. This is really awkward, especially in front of everyone. Please let go, please let - oh thank god.

Once he let go of my hand, I gave him another fake smile, then turned towards Macy.

"Let's go, Mace?" I suggested, trying not to freak out. 

Macy looks over at Nick quickly with sad eyes before turning back at me, nodding. We hooked arms and both started walking away quickly, not even saying goodbye to the guys. I needed to get far away from here as quick as possible and figure out what the hell I just agree too! 

Joe's POV

"Hey guys."

"Joe, what took you so long?" Nick asked, chucking me a water bottle.

"Thanks." I replied, opening it then taking a sip. 

"Well?" Kevin pressured. 

"Oh, it was nothing. I was supposed to meet up with someone in the beginning of lunch, but they never showed." I answer truthfully. I looked over at Stella, trying to read her. What happened? Why did she ditch me? 

"Oh." Kevin chuckled, turning back to his lunch.

An awkward vibe fell over the table. Man, I hate this, it's like everyone knows something is up between us. Stella won't even acknowledge me; she just keeps staring at her salad. 

"So, guys, are you excited for the dance?" Macy spoke up, starting some sort of conversation. 

"Yup." Nick said nonchalantly, cleaning up his lunch. Macy smiled at him. 

"Oh yeah! It's coming up quick, huh?" Kevin replied with a smile. "I should remind my date." He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. Probably to his date. I wonder who it is?

"You got a date, Kevin?" Macy asked curiously. "Who is it? Is it someone we know?"

Smirking, I open up my lunch bag. Don't even bother Mace, Kev won't even tell us who is it. All we know is that he does a lot more texting then usual.

"Not really, but you all will meet her at the dance." Kevin assured with a wink. 

"Can't wait." Macy laughed. Same here. 

"Hey, we're all going together, right? Carpool? I can drive us." Kevin suggested while eating his apple.

"Yeah obviously, I don't think Mom would let us go separately anyway." Nick pointed out. True. Nick has a point. 

Kevin nodded in agreement. I kept silent, eating some of my lunch. I'm just trying to think... what did I do? How come Stella changed so suddenly? One minute she's texting me she needed to talk to me, she even sent a laughing emoji. And now, she can't even look me in the eyes. I just don't get it. And Macy's trying to keep the conversation alive, while Nick is just sitting, looking between me, Macy and Stella and he knows. He knows somethings up. I know he won't interfere though unless he truly has too. 

"Stella, we're still getting ready together, right? My house?" Macy wondered. 

Stella finally looked up from her salad, to answer Macy. She won't even acknowledge me at all. 

"Oh, yeah. That's a definite must. Who else is going to do my make up?" She joked. Macy chuckled, zipping up her bag. 

"Great, so the guys and I will pick you girls up at Macy's." Kevin added. 

"Sounds good." Macy replied with a smile, getting out of her seat. 

Okay, that's it. I'm going to talk to Stella and get down to the bottom of this. I don't understand what's going on and I'm going to find out. And hopefully after all that, I'll ask Stella to the dance like I should have done a long time ago. 

All of us got up from our spots and got our things together. If I don't stop Stella quick, I'll lose the chance to talk to her. We still have at least 10 minutes left of break. Plenty enough time to talk.

"Hey Macy, walk with me to my locker?" 

Shit. 

"Sure." Macy agrees, standing next to Stella.

"Bye guys, see you later!" Kevin calls out, leaving. 

"Bye Kev!" We all call back. 

Nick is still sitting at the table, typing away on his phone. Why do I have a feeling he wants to stay behind for some reason? Whatever, I better call out to Stella before she leaves. But right as I was about to called out to her, another voice calls out to her at the same time as me. What the-

"Hey, Stella-"

"Hey Stells-" 

I turn and see Van Dyke standing next to me. What the hell? We're both looking at each other, confused. Nick then comes up next to me, joining us. And because I'm still shocked, Van Dyke decides to speak up first. 

"Um- Stella, Hey." Van said with a sly smirk.

"Hi." She replied.

"I wanted to catch you before you left, I have something I've been meaning to talk to you about." He admits, shoving himself between Nick and I, getting closer to Stella. 

No. No, no, no! This is not happening! No!

"Oh, okay. What about?" 

"Well, I know that the dance is coming up, and a little birdy told me you don't have a date to it, yet. I was wondering - well...want to go with me?" 

I feel myself go into shock. Are you kidding me? I look at Stella, hoping and praying she says no. Please say no Stella! He's a jerk! He's no good for you, he's-

"Okay."

"Yeah?" 

I honestly have lost all feeling in my face. I can't even think right now. This is not what was supposed to happen! We were supposed to go together! We were supposed to BE together! Really Stella? VAN DYKE! 

I look over to see Nick's expression and well, he's just as shocked as I am. I can feel him looking between Stella and I with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'll go with you." She repeats to Van Dyke. 

"Oh, great! I've been honestly turning down girls left and right, just so I could go with you. I really wanted to go with you, so I'm glad you said yes."

WHAT THE F-

Stella smiles at Van Dyke with a sweet smile. He looks so happy. This is complete and utter bull. 

"I'll pick you up! Does 7:30ish sound good?" Van Dyke asks, while readjusting his bag.

"Yeah. I'll be at Macy's getting ready." She confirms with a small smile. 

"Cool, just text me her address. See you then." He purred, grabbing Stella's hand and kissing it.

As I'm watching the whole thing happen, I'm in complete shock. Stella's expression was so hard to read but she even seemed a bit shocked as well. Once he let go of her hand, she gave him a smile and turned towards Macy.

"Let's go, Mace?" 

Macy looked over at Nick before leaving with Stella. They walked away so quick, they didn't even say goodbye.

While watching them turn the corner, and realizing they were out of sight, Van Dyke fist pumped the air. 

"Yes! I literally got the hottest girl in school as my date!" He beamed happily. 

All I can do is just stand here, speechless.

Once Nick places his hand on my shoulder, I finally snap out of it. I look over at him, seeing his unspoken words, but before I could say anything to him, Nick shakes his head with disappointment and leaves to grab all his things, deciding to leave the cafeteria.

I then suddenly realize; I'm left alone with Van Dyke.

"So, Broseph. What were you going to say to Stella?"

"I-"

"Please, don't tell me.... you weren't planning on asking her to the dance too, were you?" He quipped. 

"Even if I was, how is that any of your business, Dyke." I growled. 

"Oh, come on. Do you honestly think she'd want to go out with you?" He laughed, clutching his stomach. "You!" 

"You don't know what you're talking about! You don't know a single thing about Stella and I." 

"I don't have too. Look-" Van Dyke throws an arm over my shoulders as he continues to talk.

"I know you and her are like childhood friends or some crap. But Stella is never going to see you as anything more, you know why?"

Before I could respond with the cleverest comeback, he continues. 

"Because... you're a loser, Broseph. Honestly. Stella needs a man, not some little pop punk boy band little dweeb. What could you offer her, anyway?"

I honestly feel like my heart just burst into a million tiny pieces. Van then takes his arm off me and faces me. I'm so shocked and hurt about what has just transpired in the matter of seconds, that I can't even stick up for myself. 

"All I know is that Stella is better off without you, and better with me. At least I have _something_ to offer her, that she'll actually like. So, get this little notion of out your head. Stella will _never_ be yours. Later loser." He then walked away, with a smug smirk on his face.

After standing there for a few seconds or maybe years, I slowly started to walk to my locker, lost in my thoughts. 

Maybe he's right? What could I offer her? Does she even have any interest in me? She said yes so quickly to Van douchebag. Maybe my feelings are just one sided. Maybe everything I felt between us was just me feeling it.

I can't compete with Van Dyke. He's honestly more of a teen heart throb at this school then me and my brothers put together. And Stella did use to like him, it's not a shock that she said yes now that I think about it. 

Once I was at my locker, I grabbed my third period books and made my way to my next class. Well, looks like I'm not going to the dance. I can't now. Not because I don't have a date, I honestly could just ask anyone, but it wouldn't even be fun for me. And asking Angelina is now out of the question. I just can't watch them together. I can't. It hurts too much.

I finally reached my class and sat down at my desk, letting out a sad sigh and opening my books. Then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I quickly opened my phone - thinking maybe it's Stella texting me... but it's just a text from Nick.

Well, if anyone knows about heartbreak, it's Nick. Maybe it'll be a good idea to talk to him after school about all this? Do I tell him what Van Douche said? I don't know.

Man, I feel like crap. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Stella and I were supposed to go the dance together and have a moment. I was supposed to tell her how I feel.

Maybe this is a sign, maybe... just maybe we are better off as friends. Ugh, even though I hate the way that sounds.

Now that I think about it, there is only one good thing that came out of all that has happened today... at least Nick now has another failed relationship to write about - mine. 


	34. sudden realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the worst distance between two people is misunderstanding.... 
> 
> (This chapter is still set on the same day as the last chapter - wednesday, june 16th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been a while since I updated, sorry about that. 
> 
> But the fact that I still see the hits go up, each time I come back to this story to update it, makes my heart sing. Thanks so much for reading this piece of fanfiction I created... even if it's mostly for my enjoyment. 
> 
> In other news, we're coming close to the end of this first part of the series!! I'm so excited to continue the story line, going into part 2. Just in case you forgot, or didn't read any of my author notes... there is 3 parts to the series and an epilogue. :) 
> 
> PS. Sorry if it feels like I'm dragging the story line, (Just get Nacy & Joella together already!!!) but I love the build up of drama & the slow burn relationships. I'm a slow burn fan, sorry not sorry. Everything that happens, helps the story progress. Trust me, it's all part of the process. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you all have enjoyed it to far! For the people who keep up with the story, who booked marked it, who Kudos's it, commented on it or just opened it to check it out.... thank you so much!!!! I really appreciate all the feedback!!!

"Excuse me, excuse me! Out of the way! Classic Stella freak out is happening! Step aside, step aside! Thank you!" 

Stella and I decided to walk to my locker first since it was closer, and if we had time, walk together to her locker. How ever we do this, I don't care. I just really need to know what the hell just happened? And why didn't operation - Joe take Stella to the dance - not go as planned? 

"Oh god Macy, what did I just agree too?"

"Uh, going to the dance?" I replied, sheepishly. 

"With-with..."

"Van Dyke?" I answer for her with a small frown.

"Oh my god, why did I do that!" She asked, frantic, shaking my shoulders.

"I don't know Stella! I'm honestly at a lost for words, and that like NEVER happens." I joked, trying to ease some tension. 

"Okay, first of all that was kind of funny, second of all, don't joke, Macy!" She scolded, lightly smacking my arm. 

"Okay sorry! Honestly, Stella, I'm just as confused as you are." I admitted, holding up my hands, in surrender. "What happened today, with Joe?"

"I-"

"Let's just start from the time we met in the hallway, yeah?" I suggested, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"Okay, so after leaving you, I texted Joe and asked him if he was at his locker yet, he was - so I texted him back, asking if he could stay at his locker, because I planned on asking him alone, without prying eyes aka his brothers. Then - you'll never guess who shows up at his locker!!"

"I'm guessing it's not you?" I responded, opening my locker, grabbing my books for next period. 

"Angelina!"

I let out a loud gasp, dropping my books to the ground. Are you kidding me right now?

"I know! Out of all the times, I need to talk to Joe - alone! She show's up." She agrees, helping me pick up my books.

"And then what happened?" I asked, clutching my books closer to me. 

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it? She asked him to the dance." She grumbled, placing her hands on her hips.

"And he said yes?"

"Well, duh. Why wouldn't he? He still likes her." She pointed out, crossing her arms.

I tried to cut in, to tell her that she had it all wrong, that they're just friends but Stella spoke up before I could say any of that.

"Oh, come on, Mace! You know he does! He's always talking about her with his brothers."

"I think he just likes to reminisce. That's all. He finds what happened between them funny." I clarified. 

"Well, whatever the reason, he still talks about her - which means - he still likes her."

"Okay, let's just pretend that's true. So, then what happened after that?" I asked, closing my locker.

"I left and met you at our spot. I didn't even go speak to him, like I planned."

"Wait? And you never said anything to him? Why didn't you say something to him at least? I'm sure he's wondering why you ditched him!" I scolded. 

"Well, to be honest, there is nothing to else say. If he asked me why I ditched him, I'll tell him I got sidetracked or something. Say one of my teachers needed to talk to me. You know Joe, he's gullible so he'll believe me."

"Okay, one. That's so wrong, don't lie to him! And two, did you even hear him say yes? That he wanted to go to the dance with Angelina?"

"Uh - well not exactly." She mumbled. "But I know he said yes!" 

"You don't know that! Stella! Why were so quick to give up!" I scowled. 

"I don't know, okay! I just saw them together and I just - I left!" She admitted.   
  
I sighed deeply, pinching my nose. 

"Let's be honest here Macy, why would Joe say no to Angelina? Whenever a pretty girl asks Joe out, he never says no."

I shook my head before speaking up. She does have a point... but still. 

"Okay, so here's what we're going to do. I'm going to talk to Nick and find out what he actually said, then-."

"No Macy, just forget it! Okay?"

"But Stella-"

"I already made up my mind. I said yes to Van Dyke, so I'll go with him. To be honest, I kind really wanted to go with Joe, but someone beat me to it, okay? What am I going to do? And besides, it's not like it would have meant anything. The plan was to only go as friends. So - uh - no harm done."

"Stella-"

"I got to go; the bell is going to ring. If I don't leave now to my locker, I'll be late. Talk to you later girl."

* * *

Nick's POV

* * *

"Alright guys, don't forget - your paper is due this Friday. It's for your final grade in this class."

Oh right, totally forgot about that. Man, so much has happened lately, my schoolwork is starting to slip a bit. I don't think Dad would be too happy, especially with the tour coming up. But to be honest, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Joe and Stella - all of fourth period. How did it go from Joe asking Stella to the dance, to Van Dyke asking Stella to the dance?

All I know, is that Macy has things to tell me about Stella and maybe with what I know about Joe, we can figure out something together to help these two hopeless idiots.

Once dismissal bell rang, I quickly packed up my things and headed off to my locker, hoping Joe was already there, getting his things. He didn't respond to my text about walking home together, but I feel like that's a good thing. If he didn't want to walk home, he would have said so. I finally made it to my locker, and opened it with ease, grabbing all the things I needed to take home. Joe then suddenly showed up to my side to his locker, with Kevin showing up minutes later to his.

"Hey guys!" Kevin beamed, happily. "Thank god, the day is over!"

"Got something to do, Kev?" I asked, curious. 

"Yeah, I'm going to meet up with someone after school." He admitted, shutting his locker. "But I can still drive you guys home before I-"

"Nah, it's okay. Joe and I will walk." I cut in quickly, shutting my locker.

Joe didn't say much. He just stood there, grabbing his things. Kevin pulled his keys out of his uniform pocket while slugging his bag over his shoulder.

"Okay, well, I'll see you guys later!" Kevin called out, walking quickly towards the front doors of the school.

"Do you know who it is?" Joe wondered. 

"No, can't say that I do." I admitted with a smirk. 

"Man, he's really keeping a tight lip about this girl." Joe complained, finally shutting his locker door. "It's not like him, normally we know everything, remember Anya?"

"Well, maybe this girl is different then Anya? And besides, we have other things to worry about, right Joe?"

"Don't remind me." Joe sighed. "Well...let's go, Dr. Phil."

"After you."

Joe and I have been walking for quite a while in silence. Joe just keeps staring down at his feet as we walk, probably lost in his thoughts. Every once in a while, I'll take a glance at him, just watching him. Trying to read him. Does he even want to talk about it? Do I? Why haven't I started the conversation yet? Why hasn't he? Maybe it's because both of us don't really know how to start. What we are about to talk about, really sucks. I know Joe is really upset about what happened with Stella and frankly, I am too. This was not how it was supposed to go down.

Well, better start now before we arrive home or this whole walk was pointless.

"So, where do you want to start?"

"I don't know, you're the expert here." Joe quipped, as we were walking down the sidewalk.

"Really Joe?" I deadpanned, walking next to him.

"Okay, fine. Why don't we start with the moment where I listened to you!" He snapped, while stopping abruptly. 

"Um, what? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused. 

"I'm talking about the little chat we had today!" He explained. "About the moment you told me to "just go for it!" Joe mimicked. 

"You can't seriously think all of this was my fault?" I rebutted. What the hell, Joe!

"Yes, it is!"

"Well, did you even go for it, Joe? Did you even ask her during lunch, like you said you would?" 

"I was going to! But then I got distracted at my locker, and once I finally got Stella's attention, Van Dyke beat me to it."

Just as I was about to tell Joe not to worry, that we'll figure this out, Joe starts to ramble. 

"Why did I ever think I had a chance? It was stupid to even think Stella and I could be anything more! Why didn't you just tell me the truth? Tell me that I had no chance with her, instead of giving me false hope!" Joe ranted, walking ahead of me.

"Because Joe, if I did that, then I'd be lying!" I protested, trying to keep up with him. "You and Stella are made for each other!" 

Joe scuffed and just kept walking, ignoring me. 

"Okay Joe, stop!" I demanded, grabbing him by the shoulder, stopping him. "Where the hell is this coming from? You and I both know that what you just said - about you and Stella - is not true." 

"It is, Nick. Seriously, what the hell can I offer her?" He asked, frowning.

Joe then started to look down at the ground sadly, not making any eye contact. 

"Uh- a lot, Joe!" I objected. "Why are you talking yourself down for?"

"It doesn't matter, anyway." He said deflated, shaking my hand off his shoulder.

"Joe look -"

Joe looked up at me, with sad eyes.

Man, this talk is not going to plan. This talk was supposed to help us figure this out, figure out a plan. Not give up. 

"I know things didn't work out the way they were supposed to, but all hope is not lost. There's still a chance."

"No, there's not. It's over." He said matter-of-factly. 

"It's not over until the fat lady sings, Joe!"

"Really, Nick?" Joe said, rolling his eyes.

"The dance hasn't happened yet; things can still change!"

And it's true! It's not over yet! We didn't even give Stella a chance to decide. Maybe if she knew Joe wants to go with her, she'll blow off Van-idiot. All I know, is that when he got into the picture, it ruined everything.

But there is something else wrong here other then the fact that Van-halfwit asked Stella to the dance first. Why do I feel like he has something to do with the way Joe's thinking right now?

"Joe, I know Van douchebag asking Stella to the dance really upset you but..."

"But?"

"But there is something else, isn't there? Something you're not telling me."

Joe stood there for a bit, hesitant, before finally speaking up. 

"Maybe?"

I knew it. Van Dyke must have said something to Joe, to get to him, to ruin his self-confidence. It's not like Joe to be like this. Joe personality screams self-confidence. I honestly hate this guy. No one messes with my brother and get's away with it.

"So, what did Van-loser say to you?"

"He didn't say anything."

"Don't lie to me, Joe. I can tell when you lie, you're a terrible liar." I pointed out.

"Not as bad a Kevin!" 

"Irreverent. So, what did he say to you?" I asked again. 

"Nothing that wasn't true." He said sadly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Joe-"

"He just said that I should forget about Stella! That I wasn't good enough for her, that I have nothing to offer her, and he's right." Joe admitted, sadly. 

"No, he's not!" I denied, causing Joe to look back up at me. "What he is - is stupid."

Joe chuckled lightly while readjusting his backpack.

"He literally has the lowest IQ score known to man! He's that kind of stupid." I joked, trying to cut the tension. "And I would know, Joe! I'm literally three points shy of a genius." 

He chuckled again. At least I got him laughing. Joe then smiled sadly, before sighing deeply.

"Can we just go home, already? This is getting us no where." Joe asked, exasperated. "And I'm getting hungry." 

"Okay, sure. But we're not done talking about this." 

"Fine, whatever, let's just go. Maybe Mom has some leftovers." He replied, rubbing his stomach.

He then started to walk ahead of me again. I shook my head at him in amusement as I caught up with him, finally walking next to him down the sidewalk.

Well, the talk didn't really go as planned, but at least now I have the whole story. I hope whatever Macy has to tell me, will help me figure out a plan for my bro.

He's thinks it's over, that him and Stella will never have a chance together. Well, not on my watch. I don't write the number one hits for nothing. I'm going to figure this out, and when I do, Joe will be back to his original self. His confident and Stella-obsessed self. 

* * *

Macy's POV

Oh, shoot. It's 3:50. I literally have 10 minutes to get to Richardson and meet up with Nick. I got so busy when I got home, I didn't even realize the time.

This whole day has been such a blur. So much has happened, I feel like I'm going nuts, trying to balance it all. I even ran into Stella before she caught the bus and she seems like she's happy and fine, but deep down, I know she's not.

And any time I brought up the dance to her, she just changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about Van-fuckboy or Joe, at all. She's just talked about what we were going to wear, what the flavour of the punch is going to be... but not about what truly matters. Her complicated love life. 

Once I got home, I showered quick, had a small bite to eat and caught up on some of my homework for my second period class. With the school year being almost done, they are pushing for all the last-minute assignments and they are like all pretty much due around the same time. I can barley handle it, especially with all the sports teams I'm on. I don't know how the guys do it, while living part time as rock stars.

I'm happy that Nick actually wants to talk about this whole - Joe and Stella - situation. Normally, he doesn't get involved, or get's annoyed to be involved. But this time, he actually wants to figure something out. Joe must be a wreck right now. I honestly don't know why they act this way. Everyone knows that Joe and Stella have feelings for each other but them. It's exhausting, trying to lead them down the right path, so they can end up together.

I finally made it to the park with 2 minutes to spare. I started walking down our usual path, where Nick and I normally meet up. As I walked down the path, I saw an empty park bench and took a seat. I then pulled out my phone, out of my purse and checked my messages. Huh, nothing yet. Usually, Nick is here before me. He lives pretty close to the park. I shoved my phone back into my purse and let out a breath. 

"Macy! Hey!"

I turned my head towards the sound of my name being called and I saw Nick, riding now the path, on his bike. I smiled widely, standing up from the bench. I walked over to him as he got off his bike.

"Nick, hi!" 

"Sorry, I'm late. I got caught up." He admitted, putting his bike against the bench. 

"No worries. I honestly just got here." I replied back with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad you weren't waiting too long. Shall we?"

I nodded with a smile. Nick grabbed the front of his bike and walked it with me to the closest bench.

He then stopped suddenly, causing me to turn towards him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, right! I almost forgot!" He chuckled, dropping his bike to the ground.

He then took off his backpack off his shoulders and kneeled onto the ground. I just stood there, watching him open his backpack and he pulled out literally all of my favourite snacks!

"Oh my god, you remembered!" I laughed, dropping down to his level.

"Of course, how could I forget?" He chuckled. "You did call me a snack. It's the least I could do."

I laughed as he handed me a bag of my favourite chips. I took it from him with a huge smile. 

"Oh! I also brought some yummy drinks for us to enjoy." I added, pulling his favourite iced tea drink, out of my purse.

I handed it over to him with a smile. He took it from me, smiling back happily. After we exchanged our goodies, Nick stood up and held out a hand towards me.

"Thanks Mace." He said, helping me up.

"It was nothing." I grinned, pulling out my drink. 

Nick then picked up his bike off the ground and started to walk it to the bench, with me following beside him. Once we got to the bench, Nick leaned his bike against the bench, then we sat down at the same time. I chuckled, while I opened up the bag of chips and placed it in the middle of the park bench. As I was doing that, Nick opened up our drinks. 

"Cheers." Nick joked, holding up his tea. I held up my can of tea and hit the side of his. After both of us took a drink, Nick spoke up.

"So, you wanna go first?" He asked, grabbing for a chip.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" I agreed, placing my drink down next to me. I decided to turn my body towards him and crossed my legs together, facing him fully. 

Nick copied me, giving me his undivided attention. 

"So, you know the night we agreed to go the dance together?"

Nick nods, taking another chip.

"So, I told Stella that we were going together, and she was pretty happy about it. That I was going to the dance, I mean. But then, the next day, she asked me to meet her at her locker, because she had something to tell me..."

Nick sat there, soaking up everything I was saying.

"What was it?" He questioned. 

"She told me that she wanted what I had. That she wanted to go to the dance with a friend and not have like a 'date'." I air-quoted. "Apparently, she didn't want to have all the pressure of having a date and being romantic with them."

Nick then sat there, in thought, before gesturing for me to continue. 

"Then I suggested to her that she should go with Joe. I was honestly spelling it out for her, and she was completely oblivious or is in deep deep denial. She thought it was a good idea but didn't acknowledge her romantic feelings for Joe at all." I complained, grabbing another chip.

"Obviously." Nick said, rolling his eyes. 

"So, Stella decided that she was going to ask Joe to the dance during lunch but-"

"What? She was?" Nick interjected. 

"Yeah, she texted him and asked him to stay at his locker because she was going to ask him."

"So, that's why Joe stayed behind." Nick chuckled. "He did say someone was supposed to meet him at his locker?"

"Mhmm. It was supposed to be Stella." I nodded, grabbing another chip. "But you'll never believe who shows up to ask Joe to the dance, right before Stella does."

"Who?"

"Angelina." 

"You're lying!" Nick cringed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm not!" I laughed, smacking his arm playfully. Nick then sends me one of his classic smirks.

"So, let me get this straight. Stella asks Joe to stay at his locker so she could ask him to the dance, then Angelina shows up to Joe's locker, asks him to the dance, Stella leaves, convinced herself that Joe said yes - because Joe never shuts up about what happened between him and cello-girl - which in turn, caused Stella to ditch Joe at his locker, not even asking him to the dance like she originally planned." Nick disclosed. 

"Yup." I concurred. "Sounds about right."

"Damn." He grumbles, letting his arms down. "And Joe doesn't know about any of this."

"No, he doesn't. And Stella told me to drop it because she's made up her mind, I guess."

"So that means, Stella only said yes to Van-moron because she thinks Joe has a date already?"

"Wait? He does though, doesn't he?" I asked, confused. "He said yes to Angelina, right?"

"What? No? Joe doesn't have a date to the dance." Nick confirmed. "Besides, he would have told me about Angelina if he did."

"So, he didn't say yes to Angelina? Stella was so sure."

"No, Joe didn't agree to go with her. Joe had every intention of asking Stella to the dance." Nick responded. "But then Van Dyke..."

"So then, that means...." 

After a few seconds, we both looked at each other with realization. 

"Shit." 

"God, this whole thing was just a misunderstanding!" 

"Looks that way." Nick confirmed with a nod. 

"So, both Joe and Stella were going to ask each other to the dance..." I theorized. 

"But didn't because they both got asked by someone else." Nick continued.

"Right." 

"And Stella only said yes to Van because she thought Joe was going with Angelina." I added. 

"Which he's not." Nick confirmed. "And now, this whole mess has left him in complete and utter despair."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's convinced himself that him and Stella will never be together." Nick admitted.

"But it's not like her and Van are together, _together_?" I reminded. "She's only his date to the dance, that's it."

"It's not just that though, Mace...it's because of what Van-dumbass said to Joe." Nick said, scratching the back of his head, nervously. 

"Why? What did he say?"

"Wait! Are you serious, Nick?" 

"Dead serious." 

"Oh, my god. I HATE that guy. Next time I see him... I'm gonna-"

"Macy, calm down. He's not worth it."

"Yes, he is Nick! He's gone way to far! I don't care if he messes with me with sports, but when he messes with my friend’s feelings!"

"I know, Macy! I don't like it either but-"

"And Joe gave up, just like that? Just like how Stella gave up?"

"Yup."

"God, they really are idiots!"

"I know."

"So, what are going to do then?"

"Honestly, I don't know Macy. Part of me wants to help them because this is fucked up and Van Dyke deserves to be knocked down a peg or two, but..."

"But what?"

"But now, after hearing the whole story... I feel like we should just let them figure it out on their own."

"What? Nick, you know that's not going to happen!"

"Macy-"

"I could just tell Stella that Joe never said yes to what's her name - and Stella can dump Van and then Joe and Stella can go together and-"

"No, Macy! Wait!" Nick cuts in. "How do you even know Stella will do that? Didn't she like Van-ahole a while ago? Think about it...maybe that's why she said yes so quickly? And besides, Stella already convinced herself that she doesn't like Joe that way."

"But Nick-"

"Seriously, Mace. All we can do to help them, is to be there for them, and kind of coax them to see what's right in front of them. But they need to be the ones to figure this out. And when the time is right, Van will get what's coming to him."

"Poor Joe." I sighed, sadly. "He's so in love with her." 

"I know, and he always will be. But until Joe finally grows a pair and tells Stella how he feels _and_ until Stella moves past her denial about her true feelings for Joe, there's nothing else we can do for them."

"Maybe you're right..."

Nick gasped in fake surprise.

"What was that? Do my ears deceive me?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes, knowing what's coming. Here we go!

"Did I hear this right? Macy Misa... actually thinks I'm right?" He joked, pretending to be shocked. 

"I said Maybe!" I laughed. "Just this once." I added, punching his shoulder playfully.

"I'll take what I can get." He bantered, rubbing his shoulder, acting like it hurt.

I chuckled but then started to frown. Nick’s smile slowly started to fade.

"It just really sucks, you know? They could be together, _right now._ " I emphasized, looking down at my drink in my hand.

"Trust me, I know." Nick replied, placing a hand on my shoulder, lightly rubbing it. I looked up at Nick with solemn eyes.

It felt nice having Nick comfort me. I'm not sure if he knows it or not, but it really does make me feel better. I just can't stop thinking about Joe and Stella... I just keep thinking about how sad they must feel... 

"Nothing would make me happier then seeing them together. Finally getting over the - will they, won't they - drama. But right now, is not the right time. Let's just let them figure it out, okay?" Nick smiles at me, reassuringly. 

"Okay, Nick." 

After that conversation, Nick and I talked about everything and anything. About school, our classes, some of our classmates, about the dance, we even talked a little bit about Kevin and his "date". Apparently, even he doesn't know who she is.

By the time we decided to leave, it was pretty late. I even got a text from my Mom, asking me where I was? I guess she ordered Chinese for dinner and wanted me home.

Nick offered to walk me home, which was so sweet of him, but I told him he didn't have too! It was out of his way, after all. But he insisted! He's reason was that - "No girl should walk home alone, this late." I couldn't argue with that. 

Nick's POV

"Thanks for walking me home, Nick."

"It's no problem, honestly."

It honestly wasn't. I don't mind walking Macy home. To be honest, I'd spend all day and night with Macy. She's just that fun to hang out with. Plus, I live for our walks together. It's much more enjoyable then walking with Joe, that's for sure. 

I'm glad we talked about all this, it really helped us figure out what the hell was going on and what to do about it. I know Macy wants to help them, and I do too. But realistically, we should let them figure it out. It's their relationship, all we can do is offer advice and support. But like my Mom says, you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink.

After having some small talk, we finally made it to her house. I always feel so warm inside when I see her house. We've had some good memories there. My favourite has to be the first time I ever went over. She opened up to me, told me about her Dad. I even held her hand for a while. It was nice. 

"So, I guess I'll see you Monday." 

"Yeah, more than likely. I'll be pretty busy this weekend, getting ready for the tour."

"Oh, yeah! I keep forgetting you guys are going on tour! Sorry..."

"It's fine. You got a lot going on right now, it's easy to forget."

"Thanks for understanding, Nick. But still, I should know this stuff! I am your bands #1 fan. Well, was..."

"Regardless, even if that's true... you're more then just a fan to us, Macy."

She smiled brightly, walking up with me to her front door. 

"Speaking of the tour, I almost forgot to ask you..."

"Ask me what? About the set list?" 

"No, not that - well... I wouldn't mind your advice on that actually- but that's not it."

"Okay, that's no problem. So then, what is it?"

"My Dad told my brothers and I that since we were going to be gone all summer, we were allowed to bring a friend with us on tour..."

She gasped.

"And we obviously all agreed - that person should be you. So, what do you say?"

Macy stood there for a few seconds, in shock, before squealing happily and throwing her arms around me in a tight hug.

I blushed lightly in surprise, and dropped my bike and bag on her lawn, not expecting her hug me. But I quickly recovered, hugging her right back. After a few seconds, she let go, grabbing me by the arms.

"Yes! Yes! I'd love to! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She giggled, jumping up and down in excitement, before hugging me again. I laughed out loud and hugged her back again.

I'm not really surprised by her reaction. This is Macy after all. And to be honest, I'd be kind of disappointed if she didn't react this way. I love this Macy. The chill, sweet, funny, loyal, kind-hearted Macy. But I'd be lying, if I said that I didn't miss _this_ Macy, a bit.

The Macy who is so passionate and not afraid to be this genuinely excited about what makes her happy. In this case, it's coming on tour with us. I wish I have recorded this moment, so I could never forget it. But my brothers would have definitely picked on me if I showed them or if they were here to witness it. I can do without that. Besides, I want this moment with Macy, for me and me alone.

After what felt like an eternity, Macy finally let go and took a small step back, with a small blush on her face. She pushed her hair that fell out of her ponytail, behind her ears.

"I'm so sorry, Nick. You probably think I'm crazy right now. I-"

"No, I honestly don't." I said, earnestly, stopping her from continuing. 

She let out a small breath, smiling. 

"To be honest, I would have been pretty disappointed if you didn't react that way." I teased. 

"Oh... Really?" 

"Yeah." 

"So, if I just went like - "Oh yeah, cool, sure man. Thanks bro, see ya Monday." She said in a deep voice, imitating a dude's voice. "It would have ruined your _whole_ day?"

"Yes, it really would have." I admitted, raising my eyebrow at her, playfully. "Like a lot."

"Well, it looks like we both made each other's day, then." She bantered.

I grinned at her. She's not wrong. 

"Thank you, Nick. Really." She beamed. 

"No need to thank me...maybe thank my Dad, instead." I joked.

"I can do that." She chuckled. 

I chuckled back, turning to grab my bike off the ground, and my backpack.

"I should get going, you're Mom is probably waiting. I'll talk to you later." I said, with a big smile. "Have a good night, Mace."

"Good night, Nick!"

She shut the door behind her, as I made it off her front lawn, then turned down her street, with a huge smile on my face.

Okay, so today was a really crappy day for Joe and Stella, but it wasn't for me. I know it's selfish to think this way, but I'm honestly so happy right now, I feel light like a feather.

If Joe and Stella could just figure out their shit, they'd feel this way too. I know they will though, with a little bit of help and push from Macy and I, they'll figure it out. And besides, who knows what will happen on tour?

"Nick, you're finally back."

"Yeah, sorry Mom. I was out with a friend." I admitted, kicking my shoes off and dropping my backpack onto the floor.

As I walked into the house, I saw my Mom, sitting on the couch, flipping through a cooking magazine. 

"That's fine, honey. Your brother told me you left. If you're hungry, there is some leftovers in the fridge." She replied, not even looking up at me.

"Great. I'm starving." I admitted, walking over to the fridge, and looking into it.

"How's your sugar? Is it okay?" She asked, concerned. 

"Yeah, I had some snacks and stuff when I was out, and I checked it before I left." I responded, pulling out the Tupperware’s of food, and piling my plate.

"Okay, good. I know you keep up with it, but I still worry." She commented, closing her magazine. She then walked into the kitchen and put the food away for me, as I put my food in the microwave.

"Well, it is kind of your job." I teased. "You are my Mom."

I then walked over to the stool on the kitchen island and sat down. After a few minutes, the microwave finally beeped, and she grabbed my food for me.

"Don't be smart with me, Nick." Mom scolded, dropping my plate down in front of me, with some attitude. "I just want to make sure you'll be fine during tour, since I'm not coming along this time to keep an eye on you." 

Man, I should really take her seriously, this time. She's not joking around this time. 

"I'll be fine, trust me. And besides, Dad will be on me just as much as you." I reassured, taking a bit of dinner. "But thanks for worrying though, Mom." 

"I love you and your brothers very much, you know that." She professed, wholeheartedly. She then handed me a fork, and a glass of juice. 

"I know. The feelings mutual, Mom." I smiled, picking up the fork and digging in.

"Aw, Nicky! Come here!" She burst, hugging my side, squishing me. I let out a cough, choking a little.

"Mom! I'm trying to eat here! Could you not?" I begged, having a hard time breathing. 

She laughed and let go. I took a deep breath, getting my breath back. I took a sip of juice to clear my throat. 

"By the way, what's up with Joe? He didn't seem himself when I got home." 

She walked over to the stool next to me, and sat down, resting her head on her right hand. 

"It's a long story." I admitted as I continued to eat.

"I've got the time." She laughed. 

Of course, she does. 

"You're Dad is out, taking care of the last-minute details for the tour, Kevin has been gone pretty much all day - I think he's out with his uh, friend-"

I raised an eyebrow at her. She ignored my reaction and continued rambling, watching me eat. 

"Frankie is at a sleep over with his buddy Matt, and Joe is upstairs sulking in his room and refuses to come down. So, spill the tea, Nick."

I looked at her with an annoyed expression. Her too? Everyone at school is saying that! "Spill the tea or the tea is scolding between so and so..." What the hell does that even mean??

"God, we watch way too much reality TV in this house. Spill the tea... really Mom?" 

She lightly hit me on the arm. 

"Shut up and spill." 

I chuckled, rubbing my arm lightly. 

"Okay, okay, fine. I'm only telling you because you're a concerned mother, and not because that actually hurt me."

She rolled her eyes at me, smiling. I started to tell her everything at the beginning, remembering to not leave anything out...

"Are you serious, Nick?"

"Like I said earlier - dead serious."

"Wow, I knew those two were _complicated_ but - wow." She said, grabbing my empty plate. She placed it into the sink and turned on the tap for a few seconds. 

"Tell me about it. It's honestly exhausting, at this point." I agreed, sipping my juice again.

She chuckled, washing my plate. 

"So, do you got a plan or are you going to let him wallow in despair for a bit?"

"Honestly, I feel like Joe knows what to do. I can only give him so much advice. He's just so stubborn, they both are." I replied, watching her rinse the plate. 

"I'm sure Stella's friend is just as annoyed with all of this as you are." She pointed out, placing it on the dry rack.

"Yeah, that's who I was hanging with, actually. We talked about it all and decided to not interfere with tweedle dee and tweedle dum." I said, finishing my last sip of juice. 

"I see." She said, trying to suppress a laugh, and placed my fork into the dry rack. 

"Oh, and I asked her to come on tour with us. She's a huge fan of the band. So, she said yes. Obviously." I admitted, handing her my glass. 

"Oh, really? She seems like a nice girl, but I only got to meet her a hand full of times. Maybe we can invite her and Stella over for dinner and-" 

"No, Mom! Joe would **_hate_** you for that. Not a good idea." I cautioned. 

She frowned, before nodding. 

"Okay, well then let's just invite - uh - what's her name? Molly?" She asked, rinsing the soap off my glass. 

"Macy, Mom."

"Yeah Macy! It'll be fun! I can make her something yummy for dinner, and she can get to know your Dad! He can tell her about the tour... what do you think, Nick?" She smiled, placing my glass in the dry rack. 

It's not a bad idea, actually. Come to think of it, I've eaten plenty of times at her place, it's only fair to return the favour. But I don't want my brothers getting the wrong idea. I'll have to think about it. 

"I'll think about it, okay? And let you know." I answered, honestly. 

"Okay, sweetie. Let me know as soon as possible. I'll need time to prepare everything." She said, drying her hands. 

I nodded and thanked her for dinner. I then walked over to the stairs and made my way up to my room.

Well, today was a hot mess, but it's not over yet. I'll go talk to Joe and try to get him to at least lighten up a bit. If he continues to act like the walking dead, it'll make the whole house depressed. And we can't have that.

Once I entered my room, I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. Really Joe? I quickly grabbed my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight.

"Joe?" I called out.

I pointed it toward Joe's bed and saw a big pile of blankets. I couldn't even see Joe. There was also "that should be me" by Justin Bieber playing in the background. 

Oh, no. This is bad. REAL bad. 

"Joe? Buddy? Pal?" 

All I heard was a grunt coming from his bed. This is just ridiculous. I walked over to his bed and pulled off the biggest blanket off of him. He just whined and snuggled back into the other blankets.

"Come on, Joe. You're better then this." I pointed out. I then saw a pillow laying on the floor, next to his bed. I decided to drop my phone on his nightstand, pick up a pillow, and hit him with it. 

"Ow, Nick!"

"Out of bed, come on!" I ordered, hitting him again. "Joseph!"

"Stop hitting me, Nick! Just leave me alone!"

"I will not leave you alone. THIS is what happens when you're left alone." I protested. "Seriously, Joe."

He huffed and threw the blankets off of him. I reached over to his nightstand and turned his light on. He shielded his eyes in reflex from the brightness. I then shut his speaker off and turned towards him. 

"We're you seriously up here like this, the whole time I was gone?" I asked, concerned. 

"No, I played some video games for a few hours to distract myself, and then Mom called me down for dinner. She could tell I wasn't myself, but I just told her I had a headache and came up here to sleep." He explained, ruffing up his hair. "So, I slept."

"Joe-"

"It's better then being awake and feeling like this." He argued quickly. "When you're asleep, you don't feel anything."

"Joe, listen. I know things suck right now but..."

Should I tell him about what Macy said to me? I know I told Macy that we shouldn't get involved but, I hate seeing Joe like this. Maybe it doesn't hurt to let him know...something. It might help him figure something out.

Joe just sat there, looking at me, waiting for me to continue. 

"But... not everything is how it seems." I finally said. 

"What do you mean?" Joe asked, confused. 

"Macy told me about the locker situation with Stella." 

"Yeah, and? She ditched me. Do you know why?" 

"Well..."

"You do know why. Tell me, Nick. Did I do something to upset her, is she mad at me?"

"I don't know about that, Joe. All I know is that she saw you with-"

"Angelina. Damn it! I knew it!" He yelled, jumping off the bed. "Damn it, Stella!"

"Joe, calm down, okay?" 

Joe just ignored me, pacing back and forth.

"Now she thinks I'm going with her, so she said yes to Van-fuckface."

Wow, he figured it out pretty quickly. I didn't even need to say much for him to realize. 

"Joe-"

"It's all my fault! I should have just spoke up sooner! Asked her sooner! Stop being such a pathetic loser!" 

"Joe, you're not a loser! It was just a misunderstanding!" I argued, annoyed. 

"It doesn't even matter now. Even if I did tell Stella I don't have a date, that I said no to Angelina, she'll still go with Van. She agreed to go with Van and Stella never backs out of promises." He grumbled. 

I sighed deeply. This is not going well. I didn't want to get him more upset. I thought maybe telling him this, would have caused some clarity about this whole situation. Maybe he would have come to some sort of solution. 

"I can't do this. I can't go to the dance."

"Joe! Hold on, you can still go and-"

"No Nick, I can't watch them together. I can't stand there and watch her with.... him. I'm not going and don't try to change my mind."

"Joe, you're going to regret not going."

"Yeah, well...I already have a lot of regrets... what's one more? I got to go."

"Joe, wait!"

Joe just ignored me and walked over to one of the poles and slid down quickly. I shook my head in disappointment and picked up my phone off his nightstand. I dialed Macy's number, waiting for her to pick up.

I need her right now. I need to tell her what just happened. I need her to tell me everything will be alright... because right now, I feel like I'm back in time. I feel the regret I had, back when I made Macy cry. I feel like I'm the worst person in the world. Maybe I am. 

Kevin's POV

"Two funky monkey's, please."

"That'll be 8.55 sir."

"Thanks."

After last period was done, I was excited to get out of there. Earlier today, I texted Danielle, and asked her if she wanted to hang out me with after school. She was only working a morning shift at her Mom's salon, so she agreed with meeting up at my favourite smoothie shop. I took my car to go meet up with her. She literally just arrived minutes after me. 

"Hey Danielle!" I called out, trying to get her attention.

"Oh, hey!" She called back with a big smile. As she made her way over to our table, I got up so I could give her a hug.

"It's so nice to see you again... in person, I mean." I said, as we let go. 

"Yeah, I agree. Nice hair." She teased, pointing to my curls.

"Yeah.... I'm due for another cut. Think you can help me out?" I joked, gesturing for her to sit down. 

"I think that can be arranged." She laughed, sitting down across from me. 

"Here, I ordered for you already, you'll love it." I said pushing her cup towards her.

"Thanks." She smiled, taking a sip. "Wow, this one is really good! What's it called?"

"Funky Monkey." I smirked, taking a sip of mine.

"I normally get the Strawberry Sunshine, but this is really good!" She commented, taking another sip.

"It's literally chocolate, banana, almond milk and vanilla frozen yogurt. You can't go wrong." I pointed out. 

"So, how has everything been?"

"Pretty good. School is almost done. So, that's great." I smiled. 

"Tell me about it, I can't wait for that. I'm so done with all my classes." She agreed.

"Same here. The only thing I'm looking forward to now is the dance." 

"Me too, actually. My school isn't throwing one this year. They used all the extra funding they had for one, to buy the school new computers."

"What? That totally sucks! Well, at least you're coming to my dance! It'll be a lot of fun! It starts at 8 and I'll pick you up, along with my brother and his date."

"Okay, cool. I'll be ready for like what - 7:45?" 

"That's fine by me." I replied, taking another sip of my smoothie. 

She smiled and looked down shyly while pushing some hair behind her ear.

I was just sitting there, watching her mesmerized, before she spoke up again. I blushed lightly and let out a small cough to cut the tension. 

"So, how's the band going?"

"Oh, great! We're really excited for the tour! Oh, I almost forgot! I was able to talk to my Dad, he said that he can put aside some tickets, for you and your friends! I told him for the last date - the one we play in Jersey."

_"Hey Dad, you go a minute?"_

_"Yeah, sure son. Come on in."_

_"Listen uh - do you think you can do me a solid?"_

_"That all depends on what it is, Kev."_

_"Well, one of my friends, she told me that her friends are huge fans of ours, and I sort of told her, I could get her some tickets for the tour._

_"You did what? Kev, we don't even have them ready for sale yet!"_

_"I know, but can we just keep like 3 aside for her and her friends? I'll pay for the tickets!_

_Dad let out a sigh and started to tap his pen on his desk. He then looked up at me with a big smile._

_"Okay, I don't see why not. I guess we can spare a few. What date do they want?"_

_"The Jersey date will be the best for them, I think."_

_"Okay, fine. But it's going to be coming out of your allowance, Kev!"_

_"Yes! Thanks Dad!" I first pumped the air, quickly walking out of his office with a big smile._

"What! Really? Oh wow! That's so sweet of you, Kev! My friends are going to be so happy!" She exclaimed, happily. 

"It was nothing, really. But uh- you're going to go to, right?" I asked, nervously. 

"If you got me a ticket, I'll go, yeah. I'm really grateful for this, thank you." She beamed. 

"It was the least I could do, you did help me with my mop of hair." I teased. 

"It was a privilege to work on it." She bantered back. 

"Yeah, right." I chuckled, rolling my eyes playfully. 

"Besides, I did promise you and I never break my promises."

She laughed, reaching her hand over the table, to grab mine. The action caused me to look up and look into her eyes. 

"I'm really looking forward to see you play." She said earnestly. 

I blushed deeply, placing my other hand, on top of hers.

"I'm really excited to have you there. Knowing you'll be in the crowd, watching, makes it so much better." I admitted. "Nick will have Macy, Joe will have Stella. It's nice to have someone there for me, for a change."

She blushed lightly, before squeezing my hand. 

"I will be. I'll be there. And we'll keep in contact, right? Even when you're on tour?" 

"Yeah, totally. Our bus has our own Wi-Fi." I boasted. 

"Of course, it does." She laughed.

I laughed back. 

"I don't think I could even go a day not talking to you, to be honest." I confessed, blushing. "So, prepare for your phone to be blown up all summer, replying to my messages."

"That sounds great to me, I wouldn't want to spend my summer any other way."


	35. the worst fight ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a dream come true, well.... almost. 
> 
> (this chapter is still set on the same day as the last two chapters - wednesday, june 16th)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! It's moving along!!! I hope the last chapter made your feel all the feels!!!! Macy fangirling is a mood, not going to lie. 
> 
> I really love how the story is going so far. I find that even though I'm following a rough outline of the story, I'm adding things that makes it even better! Makes me excited to share it all with you! Also, just to clear this up - my friend (who is like my beta reader) asked me why I don't add a full summary to each of my chapters, & if just in case, you were wondering the same thing too, the reason why I don't write summaries is because #no spoilers!!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: There is a part in this chapter (a scene between Joe & Stella) where some of the dialogue actually belongs to JK Rowling. I honestly see a lot of Romione in Joella. It's not the first time I mixed some of their lines into my story lol. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Next one should be coming soon!!! Thanks!!

Macy's POV

Once Nick left, I shut the door behind me, kicked off my shoes and smiled widely, letting out a dreamy sigh.

I can't believe Nick asked me to go on tour with him and his brothers. It's literally a dream come true. I've LITERALLY dreamed this before in my dreams, and now it's happening in real life. It's crazy how so much has changed in this year alone. My relationship with the boys has changed, Stella's relationship has changed with Joe, unfortunately though, not for the best. I walked into the living room and saw Liam laying on the couch, playing a game on his iPod. He's literally hogging the whole couch. What else is new? 

"Hey, Liam. I'm home!" I announced, cheerfully. 

"Didn't even realize you left." 

"Wow, thanks." I said sarcastically, pushing him to move over. 

"No problem." He chuckled, sitting up from the couch, making room for me.

I sat down next to him and grabbed the remote sitting in front of me on the coffee table. I started to flick through the channels, when suddenly, Liam spoke up, causing me to settle on some hipster cooking show. 

"Hey? Are they dating?"

"Is who dating?" I asked, confused. He's not talking about Nick and me, right? It wouldn't make sense if he was. 

"Mom and Chad."

The minute he said mom, I suddenly realized, Mom was not even home.

"Where is Mom, anyway?" I asked, watching the chef cut up some vegetables.

"Out with Chad." He replied, not even looking up from his game. 

Oh, now that makes sense why he would ask me that.

"How would I know?" I said, finally answering him. 

"Mom tells you everything." 

"Okay, that's fair." I laughed. " But I don't know, I hope so."

"Me too."

"Really? You wouldn't be mad if she was?" I asked, a bit shocked. 

"No, she deserves it."

I smiled brightly at Liam, even though he didn't even look up from his game. Wow, he's grown so much. I can't recognize him some days. He was so young when my parents divorced, and well, all he's really known was Mom and I and to suddenly have a man come into our lives, be a father figure, I wasn't sure how he'd handle it.

Dad and Liam have a strange relationship. They've only talked over the phone and maybe saw each other in person a handful of times. He's the only one, my Dad still sort of had contact with. Maybe it's because he was the youngest, I don't know. I honestly don't talk to my Dad at all, and I don't want to. But, if Liam is okay with Mom dating, then I am too. Mom really does deserve it. And you know what? So, do we. It'll be nice to have a man around the house. 

"Yeah, she does." 

Liam then looked up at the TV cooking show I was watching and then spoke up.

"By the way, I already ate. Mom left the Chinese leftovers for you in the fridge before she left with Chad."

"Oh yeah! Right, okay, thanks."

"Anyway, I got some homework to do. Later, loser."

Liam quickly got off the couch, pocketed his iPod and made his way upstairs, running to his room. 

"Later, nose picker."

* * *

"Macy, honey?" 

"In my room, Mom!" 

Hmm, I guess Mom is home now. I can hear her walking up the stairs, coming to my bedroom. That's fine, I need to talk to her, anyway. I want to ask her about her date with Chad and well, ask her some other things too. Ever since Liam went upstairs to do his "homework", I went into my room and started to write down what I was going to say to her, to try and convince her to let me go on the JONAS tour.

The only real argument that I have is that it's a dream come true for me. It's not the best argument, but it's the truest. Mom knows how much I loved JONAS growing up, she knows how their music has helped me get through some hard times in my life. She even brought me to my first concert, for crying out loud! But, even with all this, there is still a chance she'll say no. Going to record a song for a few hours is something she can agree too, but to be away with them and away from her all summer, that one's a little harder to say yes to.

As I was putting my note pad away in my desk, Mom walked into my room, with a big smile on her face and sat down onto my bed. I turned in my computer chair to face her with a smile of my own. 

"How was your day?" She asked, grabbing a pillow off my bed, and placing it into her lap. 

"Good, how was _yours?"_ I hinted back with a smirk. 

"Why did you say it like that?" 

"Chad, eh?"

"Oh, that!" She said, waving her hand, like it was nothing. "He was just helping me with the set up of the renovations.... " She explained, quickly.

"Uh huh." I raised an eyebrow at her, not honestly believing her. 

"And we went out for coffee after, that's all." She added, lightly blushing.

"Okay, sure." I laughed.

"Anyway, how was school?"" She asked, quickly changing the subject. 

"Crazy - Joella drama." 

"Again? Geez, are they ever going to figure it out?" She chuckled. 

"It doesn't look like it."

"Anything else?" She asked, laying down onto my bed.

"Oh, you remember Nick, right?"

"They one that comes over once in a while for dinner?"

"Yeah. So, Nick and I met after school at our spot-"

"Richardson."

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"I drove past a few times, just to check up on you two."

"Mom!"

"Relax. I wasn't spying, just driving by!"

"Alright, anyway, we were talking about the Joella drama that happened at school today and then he _literally_ asked me the best thing I ever been asked in my life." 

Now's a good time as any to bring it up. I wonder what she'll say. 

"Did he finally ask you to be his girlfriend?"

"What! No, Mom! We're just friends!" I corrected, brushing like crazy. My face feels like the sun right now. 

"Okay! Sorry!" She laughed, raising her hands in surrender. "What did he ask you then?"

"Well, he told me that him and his brothers are going off to tour soon, and since it's going to be a long tour, their Dad said they can bring a friend with them and..." 

"And?" 

"Well... he asked me if I wanted to go with them." I admitted, sheepishly. 

"Really? You?" 

"Yeah! I told him I'd love to but... I know at the end of the day; I need your permission." 

"That is true." She agreed, crossing her arms. 

"Please Mom!" I begged, clasping my hands together. "It's like a once in a lifetime opportunity! Please! Please!"

"Hold on just a minute Macy! I have some questions first!"

"Of course!! I'll answer them the best I can." 

"Who else is going? Are their parent's going too?" She interrogated with her arms still crossed. 

"That's a definite must! Well, at least their Dad is, he's their manager. So, there will be Nick, his brothers, their Dad, their crew, Stella, their tour bus driver..."

"Okay, okay, I get it." She acknowledged. "How long is the tour for?" 

"The whole summer, Mom." I said, like it was obvious. Mom sat up from my bed in surprise.

"What? That's two whole months! You'd be gone that long?" She exclaimed. 

"I know, it's crazy, right!" I said excitedly, getting off my chair and jumping onto my bed next to her. 

"Macy, I don't know." She doubted. "There's a lot to think about. Like - what if something bad happens or-"

I sighed, looking down at my hands in my lap.

I knew there was a chance she would say no. I get it, really. My Mom is protective. She cares a lot about my safety. She hardly knows Nick or his parents. What parent would say yes right away, anyway?

"I understand. To be honest, I didn't expect you to say yes. I was just really happy that he asked me. It was like a dream come true." I murmured, sadly.

Mom let out a small sigh.

"I'll just call Nick and let him know I can't go..." I added sadly, making my way to get up and grab my phone.

"Wait, Macy. Hold on." Mom called out, stopping me. "If I do agree to this, there will have to be rules!"

"Okay!" I said, sitting back down onto my bed. 

"Rule number one: You'll be on your BEST behaviour. You're going to be around a lot of people, who know a lot of people. You're not going to make us Misa's look bad, will you?"

"No, Mom! That's the last thing I wanna do." I answered, earnestly. 

"Good. Now, rule two: Never let them out of your sight. What if you get lost? Or they leave you behind! How will you get home?"

"I highly doubt they're going to leave me behind, Mom. Besides, I'll be with Stella, she knows the in's and outs of tour life, she won't let me get lost, even physically." I consoled. 

"Fine. Okay, rule number 3: Stay away from their fans! You don't need to be swarmed by their fangirls. You know how they can get, Macy." She warned, raising an eyebrow at me. 

"Trust me, I know." I laughed. 

"And also, steer clear from the paparazzi! All we need is for you to be in their latest headline. "Who is this mystery girl with JONAS?" She announced in a fake reporter voice. 

"I'll try my best, Mom."

"Okay. The last rule, I can think of right now - side note, I will be writing a list later tonight - but for now, it's: If you ever get uncomfortable, upset, hurt, or if ANYTHING happens to you, you are coming straight home! I don't care where you are, I will be flying you home! Deal?" 

"Deal! Thank you so much, Mom!" I squealed happily, attacking her in a tight hug. 

She laughed, hugging me back.

"I love you, sweetie. I want you to enjoy yourself. You deserve it after everything that's been going on lately." She admitted. Then she pulled away and looked me straight in the face. "But don't forget my rules." 

"How can I? You're going to write them down, right?" I joked. 

"Yup, and I'll make a copy for Mr. Lucas too." She cautioned. 

"Alright Mom, I'm going to go call Nick, let him know you said yes!" I squealed, grabbing my phone off my computer desk. 

My Mom smiled at me, as I opened my phone. She then got off my bed, and walked out of my room, probably going to go check on Liam. But as I was about to click Nick's name in my contacts, my phone lit up with an incoming call. It was Nick. Wow, that was easy. 

"Hey Nick, I was just about to call you!" I chucked. "I got something to tell you."

**_"Oh, really? I got something to tell you too."_ **

"You go first."

**_"You go first."_ **

We said simultaneously. I smiled. 

Nick chuckled, then said, **_"You go first, what's yours?"_**

"Okay well, I just talked to my Mom about the tour..."

**_"Oh wow! Already? You didn't waste any time."_ **

"Yeah, and you won't believe what she said..." 

**_"Oh no, did she say no? She said no, didn't she?"_ **

"No!" 

**_"No?"_ **

"She said I could go, Nick!" I whooped. 

**_"Wait, really? That's great!"_ **

He sounds really happy that she said yes. Hearing him this happy makes me blush like crazy. 

"Yeah! But my Mom is writing a list of rules I have to follow while I'm gone." I added, chuckling. 

**_"You're not the only one, my Mom too. So, that's fine, just have her fax it to my Dad or something._ **

"I'm so excited! I can't believe it! It's like a dream come true!" I gushed, happily.

**_"For us too, Mace. It'll be nice to have someone else come with us, other than just Stella."_ **

"So, what do you need to tell me, Nick?"

He hesitated for a second before speaking up. 

**_"I told him."_ **

"What?"

**_"I told Joe about Angelina..."_ **

"What! I thought we weren't going to say anything to them?"

**_"You should have seen him, Macy!"_ **

"Well, I'm sure he wasn't that bad- "

**_"He was laying in the dark-"_ **

"Maybe he had a headache?"

**_"In a pile of blankets-"_ **

"Maybe he was cold?"

**_"Listening to a Justin Bieber break up song!"_ **

I gasped softly. 

"That Should Be Me?"

**_"Yes."_ **

"Oh no. That _is_ bad."

**_"I know."_ **

He sighed. 

"Why did you tell him, Nick?" I asked, sitting back down onto my bed. 

**_"Well, I thought - why not maybe say just enough to help him figure it out."_ **

"I'm assuming he figured it out right away?"

**_"Yeah, surprisingly. Joe doesn't joke around when it comes to Stella."_ **

"And he didn't take it well?"

**_"He got mad, Macy!"_ **

"Yeah, that would be the right reaction."

**_"And even more depressed! It did the complete opposite of what I originally planned. I fucked up."_ **

"Well, that does happen from time to time." I teased. 

**_"Please, don't remind me. Whatever you do, you can't tell Stella anything, Macy."_ **

"Ugh, but now it's going to be so hard not too!"

 ** _"I know but if you get Stella in the same state as Joe, then we won't be able to handle it. We can't handle them both like this."_**

He has a point. Damn, does he always have to be right? Even when he does the wrong thing, he always knows the right thing to say. 

"You're right. I won't say anything. But you should try to fix this with Joe, Nick. I know you didn't mean to upset him more. But he needs you." 

**_"I know. I think I'm going to give him some space and try to talk to him again tonight."_ **

"That would be the best bet. I'm sure things will be okay between you, Nick. He's not really mad at you, he's mad at the situation, you know that, right?"

**_"Yeah, I know. But I didn't make matters any easier. I should have just kept my mouth shut."_ **

"True, but you're his brother. No matter how much you pretend that you don't, you _do care_ about him a lot. It hurts you to see him this upset."

**_"Honestly, it really does. I couldn't stand seeing him like that. I had to say something."_ **

"I know. It'll be fine, Nick. Just have a sit down with him and talk about it. I'm sure he'll be over it by the time we all go to the dance."

**_"He's not going, Macy."_ **

"What? Why not?" 

**_"He said it because he can't stand to see Stella with Van."_ **

"Oh, wow. Poor Joe." I said, sadly. 

**_"Yup."_ **

"Well, this is _really_ bad, then." I added, sorrowfully. 

**_"No kidding."_ **

"Okay, think Macy. Think." I mumbled, pacing back and forth in my room.

Well, the only way I see it, is that I have two options. One - tell Stella everything... or maybe a small part, like Nick did about Angelina. But I could do what Nick did, and potentially upset Stella more. Well, at least she'd have some clarity. and who knows? It could work the other way and might change her mind about going with Van.

Or - I could not tell her anything and just let her to go the dance with Van, even though she'll be secretly upset that it's not Joe, all the while, Joe stays home from the dance, sulking in his room.

Okay, here's some pro's and cons. 

_ Pro's _

_If I do tell Stella:_

  1. _Stella might realize she messed up and admits her feelings for Joe - not bad at all, actually._
  2. _Stella blows off Van to go with Joe to the dance - good._
  3. _Joe and Stella, go happily together to he dance - good, REAL good._



_ Con's _

_If I don't tell Stella:_

  1. _Joe will not go to the dance - bad._
  2. _Stella will be going with Van - bad._
  3. _Both will sad and upset - really bad._



This is so hard. Nick told me not to say anything to Stella, but let's be honest here, Nick doesn't always do the right thing, even when he thinks he does. His plans sometimes backfire. He messed up with Joe tonight... and he messed up with me. Even though it wasn't just him, it still counts. So, I feel like I should follow my gut on this one. Sorry Nick. 

I picked up my phone that I threw on my bed, after getting off the phone with Nick. I went to Stella's number in my contacts and clicked dial. I waited for about two rings, before she picked up. 

**_"Hey, Macy. What's up?"_ **

"Hey Stella, listen - I have some news to tell you, but I want tell you everything in person? Can you come over for a bit?"

**_"Oh, okay? Sure! Is everything okay, Macy?"_ **

"Yes and no. It'll be easier to explain once you get here."

**_"Okay. I'll have Aunt Lisa drop me off in what- I don't know - 15?"_ **

"Okay. I'll be waiting in my room. You can just come up when you arrive. My Mom will let you in." 

**_"Alright, sounds good. I'll text you when I get there!"_ **

"Perfect, see you soon, girl."

**"Bye!"**

As I waited for Stella. I wrote down how I was going to explain this to her. I feel like that's all I've been doing tonight. Writing down what I'm about to say. Prepare myself for hard conversations. About 15 mins later, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. I got up from my computer chair and opened the door with a big smile.

"Hey girl!" Stella smiled, walking into my room.

She dropped her purse on the floor, next to my bed, then jumped right onto it.

"Hey!" I smiled back, following her lead, jumping onto my bed. We crisscrossed our legs and faced each other.

"So, what's this news you need to tell me? I feel like it's a huge secret!" She giggled. "I'm so excited but nervous, at the same time!" 

"It's well - good news and bad news - I don't know how you'll handle all of it, to be honest." I admitted, sitting next to her on my bed. 

"Macy, you're actually scaring me now. Just start with the good news!" She coaxed, grabbing a pillow, and hugging it. 

"Okay, so the good news is, Nick asked me-"

"He asked you out?" She gasped loudly.

"No Stella!" I exclaimed, embarrassed. 

Oh my god! What's with everyone thinking that! Nick and I are not - there - yet. And besides, we're just friends!

"No?" 

"He _asked_ me to go on tour with you guys!" I corrected. 

"Wait, what! He did? Oh my god! I totally forgot to ask you! He beat me to it!"

"Yeah, so anyway - I asked my Mom and she agreed to let me go."

"Stop! Really??" She doubted, grabbing both of my shoulders. "You're not messing with me, right?"

"Nope! She agreed, although there will be rules that I have to follow while I'm away but-"

"Oh, who cares! Ahh! I'm so excited Macy! This is like the best news ever!" She cheered, hugging me tightly.

"I know right! I can't wait! It's like a dream come true!" I gushed again, hugging her back. "This summer is going to be so awesome!" 

After a few seconds of hugging and squealing, we let go. She looked at me with a big smile. 

"Okay, so what's the bad news then?

"Well..." I hesitated.

"Come on, Mace. I'm sure whatever it is, is nothing compared to what you just told me!" She insisted, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. 

"It's sort of... kind of... it's about Joe."

"Joe?" She replied, furrowing her brows. 

"Yeah, Joe." I repeated. "As in Joe Lucas."

"What about Joe? This isn't about the whole dance situation, right?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Ummm-"

"Macy, I thought I said to drop it! Why can't you just drop it?" She huffed. 

"You did say to drop it! But there is something you should know, Stella. It literally could have changed everything."

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. "You're not making any sense." 

I sighed before answering her. 

"He said no to her, Stells."

"What? That's impossible! Joe wouldn't have said no to Angelina, he likes her!" 

"No, he doesn't. He said no, Nick told me. This whole thing was just a misunderstanding!" I stressed. 

Stella just sat there on my bed, with no emotion on her face. She stared down at her nails. 

"Stells?"

"He- he really said no?" She murmured, finally looking up at me. 

"Yeah. Honestly, you could have just asked him like you planned, he would have said yes, and both would have been going to the dance with each other. It would have worked out." 

"So, I - I got it wrong." She admitted. 

I nodded slowly.

Wow, I'm shocked she just admitted that. She hardly ever likes to admit that she's wrong. 

"And I agreed to go with Van." She added. 

"Yeah, there's that too." 

"So, why didn't Joe just ask me to the dance, then?" She asked, puzzled. 

"He tried, but you ditched him at his locker, remember?" I scolded. 

"I-"

"And you ignored him all of lunch and choose to listen to Van-loser instead of Joe..." I continued. 

"I- I didn't know-"

"Stella, to be honest, you really fucked up here."

"Me? Me! It wasn't just me!" She argued. 

"Okay, fine. Joe did have some part in this, but this mostly happened because you're too scared to admit that you have feelings for Joe!”. 

"I don't - Joe and I are just best friends! He doesn't like me like that!"

"God, Stella! Yes, he does! Stop walking around in denial city!" I quipped. 

"Macy- this is crazy! He doesn't like me like that! Joe is just-"

"Is just madly in love with you! He has been since forever, Stella!" 

"You're wrong! He only sees me as like a sister!" 

"Alright, fine. Let's just pretend that's true! But I'm not wrong about _you_ denying _your_ feelings for him!" I retorted. 

"I... I don't-"

"You do." 

"I-"

"Do, Stella. You do. You do have feelings for Joe." 

She opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it. She did that a few times before frowning.

"I... I really messed up, didn't I?"

I sighed. Stella brought both her hands to her face, covering it in embarrassment.

"You were scared, Stells. You still are, you're scared of rejection. So, you told yourself that Joe said yes to cello girl." I said, remembering what Nick called her.

"You convinced yourself that there is - no possible way - that Joe would like you, the way you like him."

"I'm so pathetic." She whined into her hands. 

"You're not, pathetic. You've just been hurt a lot, Stells. You're scared of letting people into your heart because then they leave you, so you're scared to let _anyone_ in fully."

Stella just sagged her shoulders, sadly.

"And you've lost a lot - you lost your family, your Mom is hardly around, and you lost your Dad - you're just scared to lose Joe, too."

I moved closer to her on the bed, and wrapped one of my arms around her shoulders, pulling her into me. Shen then took her hands off her face and leaned her head against my shoulder. After a few seconds, she lifted her head and looked at me with teary eyes.

"What should I do, Macy?"

"Go talk to him, tell him how you feel. There's nothing else you should do." I advised. 

"But what if he rejects me?" 

"He won't, trust me. And even if he did, you won't lose him, Stella. He loves you."

"I - I think I love him too." 

"You know you do."

We both chuckled lightly. 

Finally! It's about time she's come to her senses! I wonder what she's going to do, though? Is she actually going to do something about it? Or just go home and sulk around like Joe?

"I'm going to go talk to Joe." She decided, getting up off my bed, and grabbing her purse off my floor. "Make this right." 

I smiled happily, getting up off my bed, and followed her to my door. I opened it and watched her walk down my hallway, towards the stairs. But before she got down to the stairs, I called out to her.

"Hey, Stells?"

"Yeah?" She asked, turning around to face me. 

"I'm proud of you, girl." I praised with a smile. "Really, I am." 

She smiled back.

"Thanks Macy. For _everything_." 

Stella's POV

I left Macy's as quickly as I got there and got a cab ride to the Firehouse. I knew it was kind of late, and my Aunt Lisa thinks I'm at Macy's right now, but I have to go talk to Joe. I have to set all this straight with him and maybe... well, come clean about how I feel. I'm still trying to decide that part.

I got there pretty quickly and paid the cabbie driver. I took a deep breath and walked up the pathway to their front door. I then raised my hand and knocked a few times before the door finally opened. I expect to see Sandy or maybe Tom, but it wasn't, it was Kevin who answered.

"Oh, hey Stella. What are you doing here?" He asked, smiling. 

"Hey, Kev. I know it's late, but is Joe home? I need to talk to him." I replied, tucking some hair behind my ear. 

"Yeah, he's home. Just taking a shower, I think. Come on in." He said, opening the door wider, letting me in. 

"Thanks. Where's the folks?" I asked, looking around for them. 

"Oh, they're out picking up Frankie from his sleepover. I guess he wanted to come home." He laughed, shrugging. 

"Aw, was he not having fun?" I smirked, dropping my purse onto one of their kitchen stools. 

"I don't know, actually. Anyway, make yourself at home. Joe should be done soon." He smiled, walking over to the fridge. 

He pulled out a drink and a snack, walked over to the living room, sat down on the couch, and turned up the volume of some reality show. 

"Thanks Kev!"

I sat down onto the other kitchen stool, and pulled out my phone, looking at the time. 8:00. Wow, it is getting pretty late. I'm sure Aunt Lisa is going to pick me up soon from Macy's. 

"Stella? What are you doing here?"

I look up from my phone and come face to face with Nick. He smiled at me, and walked over to the fridge, to open it.

"Hey Nick. I uh- came to talk to Joe." I answered, watching him dig through the fridge, pulling out a drink.

"Oh, well he's just upstairs, showering. He should be done soon. Did Kevin offer you anything?"

"Uh-"

We both looked over at Kevin, who was sitting on the couch, laughing at the TV.

"Typical. That's why I'm the responsible one. Want a drink?" He asked, pulling out another can of iced tea from the fridge.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."

He hands it over to me with a small smile, before walking towards the stairs.

"I'll go let Joe know you're here."

"Okay, thanks." 

He then climbed up the stairs pretty quickly, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my thoughts. I then opened the can of iced tea and took a small sip, trying to calm my nerves down. 

Nick's POV

"Joe? You done your shower, yet?" I asked, knocking hard onto the bathroom door. 

All I could hear was the water running in the shower, no response from Joe. I know with the water running, it's hard to hear, but I'm banging pretty hard.

"Listen, I know you're mad at me right now, but you really need to listen to me." I called out. 

"What do you want, Nick?" He called back, loudly. 

"Stella is here. She wants to talk to you." I answered, leaning against the door frame. 

"What!" Joe exclaimed, shutting the water off abruptly. 

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." I chuckled, sipping on my iced tea. 

"What does she want to talk about?" He asked, behind the closed door. 

"I might have a few guesses." I teased, taking another sip of my drink. 

"Tell her I'm not home."

"Too late, she already knows you're home!" I assured. "Both Kevin and I, told her."

"Well then, tell her I'm in the shower!" He suggested. 

"Joe! Come on, seriously! Just come out and talk with her!" I scowled. 

"No, I don't want to." He replied with child-like defiance. 

"I swear to god, Joe! Just come out of there or so help me god, I'll break the damn door down and drag you out!" I threatened.

I'm getting really tired of Joe's childish behaviour. Be a man for once! 

"You wouldn't _dare_. Dad would kill you." 

"Oh yeah? Try me!" I warned.

"Those are fighting words, Nick."

"So, what if they are?"

"Did you forget that I'm older than you? I'll beat you in a fight." 

"I'll take my chances! I hope you have your towel on!" 

"Ugh! Okay, okay fine! Just give me a minute!"

Stella's POV

After a couple of minutes of staring at my phone, scrolling through my Instagram, Nick came back down the stairs and walked up to me with a nervous smile. I smiled back at him, putting my phone away.

"He'll be out in a minute, I told him you were here." 

"Okay, thanks Nick." 

"No problem."

Nick then walked over to Kevin, who was sitting on the couch, watching Love Island.

"Come on, Kevin. Let's give them some privacy." Nick urged, pulling on the sleeve on Kevin's shirt, getting his attention.

"But my show isn't done yet!" Kevin whined, grabbing his snack off the couch, as he got up.

"Come on!" Nick urged again. Once Kevin stood up and walked over to the stairs with Nick, Nick spoke up with a smile.

"If you need anything, uh - we'll be upstairs... in our room... not listening... just playing uh some - guitar - yeah, okay bye."

I rolled my eyes, as Nick then dragged Kevin up the stairs with him, both of them arguing quietly. I let out a deep sigh.

I hope Joe comes down soon. I don't think I can stay here much longer, before my Aunt Lisa figures out, I'm not at Macy's and, besides, I'd really like to talk to him. But as soon as I got lost into my thoughts again, Joe finally came down the stairs and walked into the living room area. He was shaking a towel in his hair, drying it. He then grabbed the remote on the couch and muted the TV.

"Stella. What are you doing here? It's kind of late. My parents should be home, any minute."

"I know it is, I just - uh - wanted to talk to you about something?" I admitted, sliding off the kitchen stool.

"Oh, really? Where have I heard that one before?" He chastised. 

"Excuse me?" I asked, walking closer to him.

 _"Stay at your locker, Joe. I have something to ask you, Joe!_ Ring any bells?" He retorted, throwing his towel onto the couch. 

"Okay, yes. You have every right to be mad at me... I - I ditched you." 

"Yeah, and I know why." He replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, can you blame me, Joe? You guys looked pretty busy talking together." I scoffed, now crossing my arms. 

"So? You still could have come over to my locker!" He shot. 

"I didn't want to interrupt." I shot back. 

"Interrupt what?" 

"Well, it was pretty obvious, she was asking you out, Joe!" I snapped, stepping even closer to him. 

"So? What does that have to do with anything!" He argued back, taking a step closer. "Listen Stella, just go with Van to the dance, and have a good time, okay?"

"Well, I'd rather go with someone _else_ , but he's being a real jerk right now." I complained.

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe that said jerk was going to ask you to the dance, but you decided to take matters into your own hands and ruin it all!" He seethed.

"Really, Joe? You're really blaming all of this one me? Let's be real here! You were only going to ask me to the dance because no one else asked you!"

"That's not true, Stella! Plenty of girls have asked me to the dance!" 

"Yeah, girls like Angelina. I bet you were so happy when she finally asked you out!" 

"Yeah, well, I bet you were all happy when Van-douchebag came and finally asked _you_ out!" He exploded. 

"Maybe I was!" 

"Ugh, god! You don't know anything, do you Stella?" He sneered. 

"What don't I know, huh Joseph?" I scowled, crossing my arms.

"The only reason why Van wants to go to the dance with you, is to _use_ you! He didn't just ask you out because of your _brains_ , Stella!" He exploded. 

My mouth dropped open in surprise. I can't believe he's even saying this right now!

"How dare you!" I yelled, upset. "Besides, I can take care of myself!" 

"I doubt that very much!" He scoffed. "You don't even see what's going on right in front of you!"

"What! Is that you really think?" I asked, hurt, and upset. 

"Yeah, I do!"

"Well, if that _is_ what you think, then you know what the solution is, don't you?” I fumed, pointing him in the chest.

"Go on."

"Next time there’s a dance, pluck up the courage and ask me before somebody else does, and not as a last resort!"

"Well, that's just - that's just completely off the point! You know what? I'm done talking about this! Just go home Stella! Before you Aunt Lisa calls, trying to find you!" 

"Fine, if that's what you want, then I'll go!" I threatened, grabbing my purse on the stool.

"Yes, that is what I want!" He yelled. 

"Fine!" I yelled back.

"Fine!"

I then stomped over to the door, grabbed the door handle, opened the door, and stormed out, slamming it behind me. As I was walking down the sidewalk, I was shaking with anger.

I can't believe this! I have never seen Joe act like this before! He is such a jerk! I don't even know him anymore! I never want to talk to him again! I'm done. No matter how much I- I love him, he's gone way too far this time! I can't believe he said that about Van. Use me? Like I'd ever let anyone - especially him - touch me like that!

I then suddenly stopped walking and pulled out my phone, dialing Macy's number, and after a few rings, it went to her voicemail. She might be in the bathroom. I'll just leave a message and find my way home. I waited for her answering machine to beep before I started ranting. 

"Macy. I'm done with him. I tried talking to him, but it wasn't good enough. We just argued like crazy! I'm sorry but it's over! After this, it's official - Joe and I will _never_ be." 

I hung up and then dropped to the curb with a whimper. I just sat there and started to cry, while staring down at my lock screen. It was Joe and I, smiling, doing some silly faces during a lunch period. Sigh. No matter what he says, I'll never forgive him for this.

My phone then started to light up with an incoming call from Macy. I answered, sniffling.

**_"Stella? Where are you? Are you okay? What happened?"_ **

"I'm a block away from the Fire House. I just want to go home." I sniffed, trying not to cry into the phone. "Please."

**_"Just stay where you are, okay? Mom and I are going to come get you!"_ **

"Okay."

**_"I'm so sorry, Stells. Truly, I am."_ **

Yeah, me too, Macy. Me too.

Nick's POV

Holy hell. I've NEVER heard them argue like that before. I've heard them fight before but that was simply crazy! Completely on another level! Kevin and I looked at each other with shocked expressions. That was NOT how that conversation was supposed to go down.

All we could hear now from upstairs, was Joe throwing things around the living room in anger. Kevin and I looked at each other quickly with worry, before running down the stairs, and walking into a trashed living room, with a furious Joe.

"Joe! What are you doing?" I called out, trying to get his attention.

"Yeah, man! Stop! Mom and Dad are going to kill you!" Kevin added. 

"Joseph!"

"I HATE HIM! I HATE VAN, SO MUCH! I HATE THIS! I HATE FEELING LIKE THIS!"

Joe then angrily swung the pillow that was in his hands and knocked more things in the living room down to the floor. I looked over at Kevin, who had a really worried expression on his face.

We've never seen Joe this angry before. Joe is usually the happy-go lucky guy who always see's the positive side of things. But this - this is really hard for him to get through. I swallowed a lump that was forming in my throat, then quickly walked over to Joe, who was panting heavily.

"I - I'm so-" 

"I know, bro. I know."

I slowly reached out to him and grabbed the pillow out of his hands, and placed it onto the floor, gently. I then placed both of my hands onto his shoulders, and held him up, keeping him upright. He seems so exhausted by what he just did, that he might fall over. Kevin just stood there, frowning.

"Joe, listen. I know you're upset right now, and we'll talk about all this after but - we have to clean this up before Mom and Dad come home with Frankie, understand?"

After a few seconds, Joe finally caught his breath, and nodded back in understanding. 

"Kevin, you broom up all the dirt. Joe, you reorganize the living room the best you can, and I'll vacuum up the glass, and clean the spill, everyone got it?"

"Got it!" Kevin exclaimed, running towards the closet, grabbing all the cleaning supplies.

"Joe?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Good man. Let's get to work, then."

Stella's POV

The ride back with Macy was a silent one. Macy didn't push to talk about it. She's good like that, she knows when to talk and when not to talk. I'm sure we'll talk about it soon though. She won't let me stay silent too long. I just sat there, in the back seat, looking out the window, trying not to cry. Her Mom had the radio playing softly, to have some noise in the car. Macy kept peaking glances at me, and at her Mom. Her Mom didn't say anything, but just focused on the road.

Once her Mom pulled into their driveway, she spoke up, looking at me through the review mirror.

"Stella. Whatever happens, we're here for you, sweetie." 

I nodded with a small smile. 

"Thank you, Ms. Misa." 

She then got out of the car, leaving us in the back seat.

"Stella..."

"I'll be alright, Macy. Trust me, I'll be fine."

"That's what worries me." She replied, sadly. 

"Macy, it's just not meant to be."

"Yes, you guys are! Joe and Stella! Joella!"

"It's okay, Macy."

"No, it's not! This whole thing is not right!" 

Macy looked at me with sad eyes. I smiled sadly at her, not knowing what to say, because she's right. This whole thing sucks. 

"Let's just go inside, okay?" I suggested, opening the car door. "Before my Aunt Lisa comes."

"Okay." 

We literally cut is so close. Aunt Lisa came about five minutes later to pick me up right after Macy and her Mom brought me back to her house. As we waited in Macy's living room, for Aunt Lisa to pick me up, we talked about other things to get this whole fight off my mind. We talked about the tour, about the boy’s outfits, about all the stops we were going to take on tour. We were both so excited. 

The ride back home with Aunt Lisa, was just another silent ride, expect this time, I couldn't stop thinking about the tour. I know it's going to be hard working with Joe on the tour, but I'll NEVER back out of the tour, because Joe and I had a falling out. Their Dad pays me to do a job, and I'll get the Job done, no matter what. Besides, I'll have Macy to distract me and keep me company. 

"Did you have fun at Macy's, honey?"

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for taking me, Aunt Lisa." 

"What did she need to talk to you about?" She asked, as she made a left turn.

"Not much, she just wanted to tell me that her Mom said yes." I replied, looking out the window, lost in my thoughts.

"Said yes to what, exactly?" She asked, turning the music down. 

"Oh, to go tour with me and the guys this summer."

"Oh yes, I forgot about that. I know you told me not to worry about them, but I still don't see how your mother gives you permission to do this. To be away all summer without adult supervision? It's crazy!"

I then stopped looking out the window and looked at her. 

"Aunt Lisa, I told you! Their parent's always go with them... well, at least their Dad does. He's their manger. And their whole crew are adults. So, technically, we're not going alone without any adult supervision."

"Alright, fine. But I want to make sure he at least pays you."

"He does - he will, Aunt Lisa."

"I'll believe it when I see a pay stub!"

"Aunt Lisa!" I groaned, annoyed.

"Okay, Stella Bell! But you'll keep in contact too, right?"

"Yes. I'll call you when I have time." I reminded. 

"Thank you, that's all I ask."

We finally arrived home and walked upstairs to my room and got ready for bed. It was pretty late, and to be honest, I just want to sleep and forget about tonight. Aunt Lisa just did her own thing as I got ready.

I don't know how I'm going to face Joe tomorrow at school. Maybe we'll act like that fight never happened or maybe we'll completely ignore each other. Regardless, I'm still terribly upset him. I don't know how we'll come back from this fight. I know it's going to put a damper on our group but... maybe this was how it was supposed to be. 

Joe and I - never becoming anything more than what we are. And what we are... is complicated. 

I'm just going to focus on the dance and the tour that's coming up. I put a lot of work into both of these events and I'm not going to let this fight, stop me from focusing on my goals. To have a beautiful - end the school year - romantic dance and a killer tour with a killer wardrobe. Joe be damned. 

Nick's POV

All I can hear is the sound of soft snoring. Which would make sense, we are all exhausted after cleaning up Joe's mess. Joe's mess... well, it's more than just the physical mess he made. I can't stop thinking about his fight with Stella. It felt like I was listening to a soap opera, but it was real life. Joe's life - that he made a mess of. 

Joe was a wreck after we finished cleaning. I sent him up to bed, so he could just relax, because he was shaking the whole time we were cleaning. He's so stressed and upset, it was showing through his movements.

Kevin and I finished cleaning everything in record time, right before Mom and Dad came home with Frankie. They didn't suspect that anything happened. Mom did ask though, why one of her favourite table toppers were missing. I told Mom, Kevin and I were throwing a football around and accidently broke it.

She wasn't really mad but a little disappointed, telling us we knew better then to do that in the house. But overall, they were happy with the state of the house and got ready for bed, as did Kevin and me. We do have school tomorrow, and it's been a long day. 

As I got into bed, I looked over to Joe who was snoring away in his side of the room. I can only imagine how he feels right now. This whole day sucked for him. Like A LOT.

Kevin quietly walked over to his bunk bed before stopping abruptly. He then quietly made his way over to me kneeling, as I turned over on my side. 

"Hey, Nick?" He whispered.

"Yeah?" I whispered back. 

"What do you'll think will happen tomorrow?"

"World war 3, probably."

"I think so too. Or maybe... they'll make up?"

"I don't know, Kevin. I never heard them fight like that before." 

"I know."

"Let's just get some rest, we are going to need it for tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right. Good night, Nick."

"Night, Kev." 

What a good night, indeed. 


	36. thrusday, june 17th: the night of the dance

Nick’s POV

“Here is your exam review for this class, if you have any questions, make sure to ask me before it’s too late. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone.”

Finally. This has been the longest class ever. I feel like I’ve been sitting her for hours when I know I haven’t. I just want this school day to be over, so I can go home and get ready for the dance tonight. We are all pretty excited, well… expect Joe and Stella. All day, they didn’t say two words to each other. They didn’t even make any eye contact. Neither one of them want to be the bigger person and just make up. They’re both so stubborn, it actually gives me a headache.

We all met up at our spot for lunch, but no one talked to each other. Macy, Kevin, and I pretty much carried our own conversation. And maybe halfway through lunch, Joe and Stella couldn’t take it anymore and just left the table, leaving the three of us sitting there, dumbfounded. Both of them gave us pretty lame excuses on why they needed to leave. After that, Kevin checked out early, said he was going to meet up with some of his friends before class.

Since Macy and I were alone, we talked about everything going on with Joe and Stella and decided to not say ANYTHING anymore to those lovesick fools. She also told me what happened with Stella last night before the big fight that happened at the firehouse… she admitted that she her about Angelina and told me about how Stella finally figured out her feelings for Joe. I guess Stella went to the fire house last night, to come clean to Joe about her feelings. But we all know how that actually played out. Man.

“Then we picked her up, about a block away from the firehouse. She was so upset. She didn’t speak the whole way back to my house.”

“Man, this whole thing is just a mess. I didn’t think it would be like this.”

“Me too. I really wanted them to work it out.” She frowned, looking down at her hands, that were sitting in her lap.

“I know, Mace. Met too.” I comforted, placing one of my hands on her shoulder. “But listen, even though this really sucks, we shouldn’t let it ruin our time at the dance tonight, alright?”

“Okay, Nick.” She smiled, looking back up at me.

“I’m actually pretty excited for the dance, to be honest.”

“You are? Really?”

“Yeah, why do you sound so surprised?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“It’s just… you never really get excited about these types of things.” She chuckled.

“Well, who doesn’t like a – end of the school year – dance? It just reminds me of how close we are until the last day of school.”

She laughed.

“And the tour.” She added.

“Yeah. That too.” I smiled brightly. “So, Kevin and I will be picking you up at your house, I’ll call you when we’re on the way.”

“Okay, sounds good to me.” She smiled.

As I smiled back at her, the last warning bell rang, telling us that lunch period was over.

“Shall we?” I suggested, pointing towards the exit of the cafeteria. 

“Sure.” She smiled.

We both chuckled, grabbed our packed lunches, and walked out together through the cafeteria.

“See you later, Nick!” She called out, as she made her way towards her locker.

“Bye Mace!”

* * *

“Mom! Dad! We’re home!”

The ride home from school was a silent one. It was tense and awkward. I feel like Joe was just trying to get through the day without showing how much he was hurting, but we all know how badly he’s hurting. He hasn’t smiled, laughed, or joked around, at all today. He’s just been this serious, quiet - speak when spoken to – Joe. It’s worries me that he’s like this. This is not the brother I know.

Kevin, Joe, and I walked through the front door, dropped our backpacks onto the floor and kicked off our shoes. As we walked into the house, I noticed Mom and Dad were sitting together on the living room couch. While Mom was watching some house renovating show on TV, Dad was typing away on his laptop. Probably sending out emails.

“Hello boys – “

Joe didn’t even look up or say much as he walked with us into the living room. He just walked over to the stairs and made his way towards our room.

“How was school today?” Mom asked with a frown, as she watched Joe walk up the stairs.

“Not bad, Mom. Just been busy preparing for exams next week.” I replied, sitting next to her on the couch.

“Oh, right. I totally forgot about those.” Kevin chuckled, walking to the fridge.

“Kevin, how could you forget about them?” Mom asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, Kev, I’m sure your teachers remind you like mine do?” I added, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, they do. I just forget about things that like when I have so much to look forward too.” He explained, as he opened up the lid on his drink.

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Dad teased, as he placed his laptop on the coffee table.

“Well, for starters, the tour and the dance that’s tonight.” Kevin admitted.

“Oh right! I forgot about the dance!” Mom beamed. “You boys are going, right?”

“Yeah! Well, Kev and I are going. Joe’s not going.” I answer, placing hands behind my head.

“Is that why he sulked all the way upstairs, to your room?” Dad pointed out.

“Pretty much.”

“Why?” Dad asked.

“Long story, short, Tom. Stella.” Mom responded, getting up from the couch.

“Ahh. They still haven’t figured it out, huh?” Dad frowned, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Nope.”

“That’s unfortunate. Well, maybe something will give between those two during the tour?” Dad suggested, closing his laptop.

“Maybe.” I shrugged. Kevin nodded in agreement, before taking a sip of his drink.

“Anyway, I’m going to go start on dinner. I want make sure you guys have time to eat before you go get ready for your dance.” She said, walking into the kitchen.

“Thanks, Mom.” I smiled, making my way off the couch and towards the stairs, to our room.

Joe might not want to talk, so I’ll just give him some space. But I do want to go see what he’s up too. Once I got into our room, I just saw Joe sitting on his bed, with headphones on. He had his eyes closed and his arms crossed.

He’s probably just listening to some relatable sad music. That what us Lucas boys do when we’re sad or upset, we just sit and vibe. I took a quick glance at him before walking over to our recording area. I then sat down at the desk and pulled out my lyrics book and started to scribble down some ideas for a song, just to distract myself.

About an hour later, Mom called Joe and I downstairs for dinner. As we both came down, I saw Kevin helping Dad set up the table, and Frankie coming out his room with a gaming headset on his head.

“Hey little bro, how’s the game going?” I smiled, meeting him at the end of the stairs.

“Great, we’re beating them, 3 – 1. What noobs.”

“You’ve literally been in there for hours.” Kevin chuckled, ruffling up Frankie’s hair.

Frankie just shooed Kevin’s hand away before speaking up.

“Hey, Joe. Maybe after dinner, we can play some Fortnite together? Since you’re not going to the dance tonight.”

“How did he know that?” Kevin me asked, confused. Joe just looked at Frankie, with no expression.

I just shrugged back, as we all took our seat at the dining table. I have no idea, to be honest. Frankie likes to eavesdrop around the house. Just to make sure he’s in the loop with what’s going on. He might be the youngest, but he knows the about everything that happens in this house. It’s a little scary, sometimes.

“Maybe later, Frankie.” Joe murmured quietly.

“Okay! Here we go! I hope you guys enjoy it!”

“This looks great, Mom!” Kevin complimented as he started serving himself.

“Yeah, thanks Mom.” I added.

“Looks amazing, Hun.” Dad said with a smile, as he handed me some of the food.

Mom just smiled back at us as we all made our plates. She then looked over at Joe, who was just sitting in his chair with no food in his plate.

“Joe? Aren’t you hungry? You haven’t touched any dinner?” Mom asked with a frown.

“Not really Mom, but I’ll try some of the mash, though.”

I then passed him the mash potatoes, that were sitting next to me. We all just sat there and watched him as he quickly put some on his plate. Everyone could feel the awkward vibe at the table, which caused Dad to clear his throat, catching everyone attention. He then started to talk about the tour, hoping it will distract everyone from the uncomfortable feeling we were all feeling at the table. Or maybe just Joe.

* * *

“Mom? Have you seen my nice bowtie?”

“No, I haven’t sweetie. Why don’t you check your closet?” She reminded, washing one of the plates from dinner.

“I did, it’s not there… you don’t think Frankie took it again, do you?”

“Frankie?” Mom called out to him from the kitchen.

“I didn’t do it! Maybe Dad took it!” Frankie called back from his room.

I sighed in frustration.

“Tom?” Mom asked, looking over at him, as he sipped on some coffee at kitchen island.

“I might have… maybe… borrowed it.” Dad admitted, into his cup.

“Tom!” Mom scolded, dropping her sponge. “Your son needs that tie for tonight!”

“What? I ran out of clean neckties and I had an important meeting! Besides, Nick has nicer ties then I do. Can’t the Stellavator just give you one?” Dad asked, gesturing towards upstairs.

“Only Stella has access to it Dad, and right now, she’s getting ready at Macy’s.” I replied, crossing my arms.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot about that. Okay, I’ll go see if I have one for you, sit tight.” Dad sighed, walking towards Mom and Dad’s bedroom.

“Thanks Dad.” I called out, while Dad waved back to me.

I then walked over towards Mom and leaned up against the counter next to her.

“So, is Joe still a no-go?” She asked, placing the clean dishes onto the dry rack.

“Yeah, as far as I know. I haven’t talked to him all day.” I admitted.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Mom sighed as she shut off the running tap and dried her hands.

“Do you think I should go talk to him?”

“Nah, Joe is not one to talk about his love life with his parents. It’s… awkward for him.”

"Maybe you're right. I doubt he’d tell me much, anyway.”

“Exactly.”

“Listen Nick…” Mom said, placing her hands on my shoulders. “I know Joe is putting everyone in this house in a bad mood, but don’t let it ruin your night tonight. Have fun with Molly.”

“Macy, Mom.”

“Yes, right, Macy. Speaking of her, did you ask her about coming over for dinner?”

Oh shoot. I totally forgot about that.

“Uh, not yet. I haven’t completely decided if I should ask her.”

“Well, if you don’t decide soon, I’m just going to ask her and you'll be okay with it, because I’m your mother and you have to listen to me.” She reminded.

“Oh, that’s what you are? I totally forgot.” I teased.

She smacked me on the arm playfully, smiling. "Ow!" I chuckled, rubbing my arm.

“Here you go son!”

I turned my head and looked over to my Dad, as he was handing me back my bowtie.

“You found it?” I asked, looking down at it in my hands. It was perfect. 

“Yeah, I guess I stole it but didn’t even wear it, my bad.” He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

“It’s fine.” I laughed back. “Thanks Dad.”

Dad then placed an arm around Mom's shoulder as I jogged my way over to the stairs and made my way up to my room. Time to go get ready.

After putting my suit on, styling my hair a bit, and sprayed on some cologne. I walked over one of the armchairs, to put on my dress shoes. 

"Kevin, you ready yet?"

Kevin then walked out of our bathroom, all dress and ready to go. He pretty much had the same suit on as me, with a white handkerchief in the pocket, but he styled his hair different, slicking it back. 

Kevin's Outfit

"Yeah, I'm ready. Just texting my date. You should do the same." He replied, putting on his dress shoes. Good idea, I should let Macy know we're on our way.

Once I was done putting on my dress shoes, I walked over to our full body mirror and checked myself out one last time. I looked rather good. if I do say so myself. I know I'm not the cocky brother, but I can admit when I look good. I hope Macy likes it. I'm sure she will. She always liked our sense of fashion which would make sense, since Stella is our stylist. To be honest, it's pretty much all thanks to Stella. She's a good teacher.

I had my favourite suit on with it's matching bowtie. I also styled my curly hair the best I could. I was pretty happy with the outcome, to be honest. My hair decided to agree with me today. I buttoned up the middle button and decided I was all ready. This is as good as it's going to get.

Nick's Outfit 

I then grabbed my phone off of its charger and dialed Macy's number. It rang a few times before she finally answered. 

**_"Hello?"_ **

"Hey, Mace. We're just about to leave, okay?"

**_"Okay! I'm already ready. I'll be waiting by my front door."_ **

"Perfect, see you soon." 

**_"Bye Nick!"_ **

I smiled and hung up the phone. Here we go. Kevin and I finally made our way down the stairs.

"Okay, Mom! We're leaving now!"

But before we could leave, Mom stopped us.

"Wait! Wait! I want to take a few pictures before you go!" She called out, running out of the bathroom.

"Honey, don't you only do that when they're with their dates?" Dad 

"Yeah, dates that are waiting for us." I reminded.

"Just a few! Please!" Mom begged, holding up her phone. 

I sighed before looking over at Kevin. He just shrugged, smiling. We then both moved a bit closer to each other to take the picture. 

"Say cheese!"

As Kevin and I posed for the picture, I could see Joe peeking out of Frankie's room. He was looking at us, probably wishing he was standing here with us.

"Joe, wanna be it the picture too?" I asked, smirking.

"No, it's fine. I'm not dressed up."

"So? You can still be in it." I argued. 

"Nah, I'm good. Have a good time, guys."

"We'd probably have an even better time if you came with us." Kevin pointed out.

"Yeah." I agreed. 

Joe just smiled sadly at us as Mom just looked between us and Joe. Dad didn't really say much, he just stood there, listening.

"Joe! I need your help! We're losing!" Frankie called out, snapping everyone out of the moment.

Joe just nodded at us, then walked back into Frankie's room, probably going to go play Fortnite. 

"Alright, let's go, bro. The girls are waiting." Kevin suggested, placing a hand on my shoulder, then walking towards the front door. 

"Right behind ya." 

"Have a good time guys!" Mom called out from the front door, as we go into Kevin's car. "Be safe!"

"And don't forget your curfew!" 

* * *

Macy's POV

"Macy! Stella's here! Go on up, honey." 

"Thanks Mom! Come in, hurry!"

Stella giggled, and walked into my room, holding a big bag and her dress. 

"You got everything ready?" She asked, while throwing her things on my bed. 

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for giving one of your dresses to wear, I know it was pretty short notice."

"Well, it's the least I can do." She admitted, pulling things out of her bag. "I know I haven't been the nicest person to be around... I made these past few days pretty hard to handle, with the Joe situation and becoming dance-zilla on you."

"It's fine, Stells. Honestly. I'm just happy we're going to go have some fun, after the terrible week we had." 

"Me too. Now, let's get ready!" She squealed with excitement. I walked over to my speaker and turned on some pop music on my phone. I Got A Feeling by the Black-Eyed Peas, started to blast through my speaker. As we were setting up our things, I heard a knock on my door. 

"Hey girls, I have some snacks for you, just in case you're hungry." Mom smiled, dropping a plate of cut up fruits and cheese. 

"Thanks Mom!" I laughed, grabbing a grape off the plate and popping it into my mouth. Stella brought over a box of bobby pins on my vanity. 

"Here Macy, let's start by curling your hair a little bit." Stella suggested, plugging in the flat iron for a few minutes, to heat up. 

"Okay. Sounds good to me. How are you doing your hair?" I asked, sitting in front of my mirror. 

"I'm just going to do this up-do my Mom taught me. It's pretty easy and looks great!" She smiled, standing behind me with the flat iron. "Hold still."

"Got it."

After Stella was done with my hair, she started to re-straighten her hair and put her hair up with some bobby pins. I then walked over to my closet and pulled out the dress, Stella let me use. It was this nice black short dress with straps. It fits perfectly. I remember Stella teasing me, the moment she saw it on me. She said it fit me like a glove. While Stella finished up her hair, I got changed into my dress and pulled out my black strappy heels to match. 

"Wow, I still can't get over how good you look in that dress."

"Aw, thanks. I'm sure you'd look much better in it than me.

"Nonsense. That dress was made for you. Now I know why I didn't even wear it. It was waiting for you." She chuckled, opening up her dress on my bed. It was a short white dress with ruffles and lace at the top of the dress. She had a red clutch to match with white heels. 

"I love your dress too. It just screams you." I complimented, admiring the dress.

"We're going to be the hottest girls at the dance, no cap."

"Really Stella, no cap?" I laughed. 

"What? Your brother taught me that." She laughed back. 

Now that we were both dressed, with our heels and had our hair down, it was time for my specialty, make up. 

"Okay, Mace. I trust you. Make me gorgeous."

"I won't have to do much, since you’re already gorgeous." I laughed, opening up my favourite makeup palette.

"Aw, you flatter me." 

After doing her make up perfectly, I did mine while she put on her accessories - and nice pair or earring and a gold bracelet. She then walked over to her bag and pulled out a few bottles of perfume. I then grabbed my accessories off my vanity - a silver bracelet and some hoop earrings that matched. As I put them on, Stella walked up to me, holding both bottles of perfume. 

"Which one?"

After smelling both of them, I choose one.

"This one smells nice." 

"It's yours then, I like the smell of the other one better, to be honest." 

We both sprayed some perfume on ourselves - some on the base of our neck, on our wrists, inner elbows and behind our knees. Stella taught me that. I guess her Mom knows a lot about getting ready for formal functions and told Stella all the in's and outs of dressing up. 

After looking over ourselves one more time, we decided we were all ready to go.

"Ready, Macy?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you down there."

"Okay, girl."

Once Stella left my room, I let out a breath, to calm my anxiety. I'm a little nervous, to be honest. I know Nick and I are just friends and are only going to this dance as friends, but I feel like this means so much more than what we're pretending it to be. 

I really hope I don't make a fool of myself tonight. Knowing me, I'll probably spill my drink on him or step on his foot while we're dancing. 

Oh, right. The dancing. I felt my face heat up. I wonder if he's going to ask me to slow dance. While I was lost into my thoughts, my phone started light up in my hand, showing that I had an incoming call. It was Nick, of course. He always knows when I'm thinking about him.

"Speaking of Nick." I laughed. 

"Hello?"

**_"Hey, Mace. We're just about to leave, okay?"_ **

"Okay! I'm already ready. I'll be waiting by my front door." 

**_"Perfect, see you soon."_ **

"Bye Nick!"

After saying bye, I quickly hung up my phone with a small smile, and put it inside my clutch, so I didn't forget it. Just before I was about to leave my room to go downstairs, I shook my head quickly, to shake all the nervous thoughts out of my head. All this is, is just two friends, who are attending a romantic school dance. No pressure. I got this. I can do this. 

"Macy!"

"Macy, get your cute butt down here!"

Here goes nothing. 

Stella's Outfit Macy's Outfit

* * *

Stella's POV

I guess Macy needs a few minutes to pull herself together. This is a big night for us. I mean, I know Macy and Nick are only going as friends, but I would not be mad if they got together after tonight. They are literally perfect for each other. At least one of us might end up with a Lucas Brother. As I came down the stairs, Macy's Mom came up to me with a big smile. 

"You look so stunning, Stella!" Mom gushed, happily. "Doesn't she, Liam?"

"Yeah, sure." He replied, not even looking up from his game. I chuckled and shook my head in amusement.

"Thank you, Miss Misa!" I smiled, giving her a side hug. 

"Your dates should be here soon?" Mom asked, handing us some waters.

"Yeah. Nick should be here soon and -" 

But before I could finish, I heard a quick knock at the door. It must be Nick here for Macy. 

"I got it!" I called out, as I walked up the front door with a big smile. Once I opened the door, I let out a small gasp. 

"Wow, Nick! You look great! You did a surprisingly good job, even without my help." I teased. 

"Thanks." He replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I learn from the best."

"Yeah, you do."

"Oh, hello again!" Macy's Mom greeted. "Well, don't you look very handsome!" 

"Thank you, Ms. Misa. I -um... I'm just here for Macy." Nick explained with a small smile. 

"Oh, she's still upstairs... Macy!" She called out to her from the end of the stairs. We waited a few seconds for her to come down before I decided to call out to her. 

"Macy! Get your cute butt down here!" 

* * *

Nick's POV

The ride to Macy's house felt like it took 5 years. I guess it was just the anticipation of seeing Macy, all dressed up and ready for the dance. I know that I said I was happy with the way things were, between Macy and me. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for tonight. I've been looking forward to this dance since I asked Macy to be my date. I'm not sure how Macy feels but I can't wait to dance the night away with her. 

After what felt like the longest ride of my life, we finally pulled into Macy's driveway. I looked over a Kevin with a smile. 

"I'll be right back. Wish me luck - hopefully, I don't fall on my face on the way up there." 

"You got this, bro. Go get her." 

I chuckled and hopped out of the car. After walking up to her door, I gave it a quick knock. Stella opened the door, with a big smile on her face. She looks really pretty. I'm sure if Joe saw her right now, his jaw would be to the floor. I told him he'd regret not going to the dance. The damn kid is just so stubborn.

"Wow, Nick! You look great! You did a surprisingly good job, even without my help." She teased. 

"Thanks." I replied, rubbing the back of my head. "I learn from the best."

"Yeah, you do." She laughed. 

"Oh, hello again! Well, don't you look very handsome!" 

"Thank you, Ms. Misa. I -um... I'm just here for Macy." I explained with a nervous smile. 

"Oh, she's still upstairs... Macy!" She called out to her from the end of the stairs. But since she didn't respond right away, Stella called out to her too. 

"Macy! Get your cute butt down here!" 

Once my eyes caught sight of Macy, I just stood there in shock. My mouth felt so dry, I couldn't say anything. All I could do was stare at her, as she came down the stairs.

Wow...Macy. She looks amazing. I'm not used to seeing her dressed up like this. Normally, I see Macy in her usual attire- jeans and some girly top, or in school uniform or sport uniforms but this.... I never seen Macy like this. She looks so beautiful. 

"Oh wow! You look so beautiful, honey!" Ms. Misa complimented. 

"You don't even look like yourself." Liam pointed out. "It's kind of scary."

Ms. Misa then smacked him in the arm, hard. Ouch. Been there buddy.

"Ow! Mom!" Liam whined. 

"Don't listen to him, honey. You look wonderful."

"Thanks, Mom." Macy chuckled. 

"What do you think, Nick? Doesn't she look amazing?" Stella suddenly asked, snapping me out of my daze. 

"Uh- yeah. She looks really beautiful." I admitted, blushing a little.

Macy smiled back with a small blush of her own. 

"Well, you don't look too bad yourself." She teased with a smirk.

I smirked back. Stella looked between us with raised her eyebrows. Are we actually flirting?? In front of Stella, of all people!

"Yeah, he did pretty good, eh?" Stella teased, while readjusting my bowtie.

I playfully shoved her off me, which caused Macy to laugh.

"You guys all clean up very nice!" Ms. Misa cut in. "Now let me get a quick picture before you guys go!"

"Ugh! Mom!" Macy groans in annoyance. "Can't we just go?"

"Just one! Please!"

Macy then let out a sigh and looked towards me.

"You don't mind, right?" 

"Nah, my Mom forced Kevin and I, too." I laughed, wrapping an arm around her back. "What's one more?"

As Macy's Mom snapped a few pictures of us, Stella just stood there, staring down at her phone. Once we were done, Macy turned towards Stella, to talk to her.

"When is Van coming?" She asked her. 

"Soon. He said he'd text me when he got here." She replied, still looking down at her phone.

"Okay well, since I'm leaving before you... I'll see you at the dance?" Macy smiled at her, placing a hand on her arm. 

Suddenly, a loud car horn snapped us back to reality. Kevin must be getting tired of waiting. 

"No worries, girl." She smiled back. "Go have fun."

"On that note, shall we?" I suggested, opening the front door for her.

"Thank you, Nick." Macy giggled, walking through the threshold. 

We both then made our way to Kevin's car. I quickly opened back door for her and let her in first. After letting her in, I got in beside her. Kevin then turned around to face us.

"Hello, Macy!" Kevin smiled. "You look nice!" 

"Thanks Kevin!" She smiled back. 

"So, what now, Kev?" I asked with a smirk.

"Now..."

Kevin then turned on the car dramatically.

"Now it's my turn."

* * *

Macy's POV

The moment I came down the stairs, the first thing my eyes laid on, was Nick and how good he looked. To be honest, what I saw did not surprise me. Nick always looks good but WOW. He looks - wow. So good and so handsome with that suit on.

As Kevin was driving to his date's house, Nick and I started talking about the dance, and what we we're excited for.

"I heard the DJ Stella picked out is really good." 

"He should be, they spent a lot of money on this dance." Nick pointed out.

"Do you think the decorations will be nice?" I wondered. 

"If Stella was the one to plan everything, I'm sure it will be." Nick chuckled. 

I chuckled back.

Before we knew it, Kevin pulled into this really beautiful house. It's in one of the richest parts of the neighborhood. Nick and I looked at each other in amusement.

"Be right back." Kevin announced, quickly getting out of the car.

And just like that, I was now left alone with Nick. Normally, I wouldn't be nervous about it, but Nick also doesn't look like this normally when we hang out together. He always looks good, but he looks really good right now. Even his hair has like the perfect curls. I wonder if he styled it. Maybe Joe helped him? Speaking of Joe... I wonder how he's doing.

"So... how's Joe doing?" I asked, looking over at Nick. "Still sad?"

He then turned his body a bit, to face mine.

"Yeah, actually, he's a bit worse. He barely ate anything at dinner."

"Really? That's not like him. Joe loves to eat."

"I know. And when Mom was taking our pictures, he just stood there from a far and watched, all sad looking." 

"Aw poor guy. I wished this didn't happen. It really puts a damper on our group." 

"I know. My whole family felt pretty sad tonight. I just don't understand why he didn't want to come. He still could have."

"I agree, but we can't force him to go. He made his choice, I guess."

"Yeah."

Before I could say anything else, the passenger seat opened, causing both me and Nick to look over there.

"Hello, I'm Dani." She smiled, adjusting herself in her seat.

Wow! She was really pretty! Her dress was a really nice blue! And even though it's simple, it's still elegant at the same time. She also matched her dress with a black clutch and some black glittery heels.

No wonder Kevin has been keeping her a secret. He didn't want any of his brothers going after her. Not that they actually would. Well...they did do something like that once, fight over the same girl. They did it with Maria - the pizza girl - I remember Stella telling me about that fiasco.

"Hello! I'm Macy and this is Nick." I introduced us. 

"Oh, right! The serious one." 

Nick raised his eyebrows, giving her a smirk. 

"Kevin has talked a lot about you guys." She added with a chuckle.

"All good things, I hope?" 

As we were talking, Kevin was making his way around the other side of the car to get in the drivers seat.

"All good things... well, he did tell me that you guys had a problem with his hair."

"Well, do you blame us?"

"I heard that, Nick." Kevin warned, getting into the car.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Nick teased. 

"His hair was rather ridiculous." She agreed with a laugh.

"Hey, Dani!" 

"Alright children, that's enough." I joked, causing Dani to chuckle. "We ready to go now, Kevin?"

"Yeah, let's do this." 

* * *

Joe's POV

"Let's go, Mom! We're going to miss the 9pm showing!"

"Okay Frankie, we're going!" 

I knew this was going to happen eventually. I knew Frankie would want to have Mom and Dad to himself. Especially since Dad is going to be gone all summer with us on tour. It's fine, to be honest. I was getting tired of playing Fortnite with him. I was done after the third round, but I needed something to distract me and doing my essay was way out of the question. So, here I am... watching TV, while my parents take Frankie out for a movie.

"Joe-"

"Yeah, Mom?" I asked, flipping through the channels.

"You sure you don't want to come with us? We might get some ice cream after?"

"And watch Angry Birds 3? Nah, I'm good. Thanks though."

"Okay, sweetie. Well, we should be home soon. If you need anything, just give us a call."

"I'll be fine. Go have fun."

"Love you." 

She then leaned down and gave me a kiss on my forehead, then rubbing my hair back into place.

"Love you too."

Once they left, I shut off the tv and sighed. I need to get this out. I need to do something to help get these feelings out. I hate feeling like this. I then got off the couch and made my way upstairs, towards the recording area in our room. I pulled out a piece of paper and stared down at the paper. Everything I've been feeling lately about this whole Stella situation, makes me want to write a song about it. I know I'm not as good as Nick when it comes to writing lyrics. But this is what he does... writes sad song when his heart is broken. Why can't I give it a shot? It might make me feel better. 

I started to think about this past week and everything I went through. I thought about how I'm angry about the fight, about Van and what he said to me, about how I'm such a coward, and about they way I've acting at home around my family. The more I keep thinking about it, the more I keep asking myself why? Why did this happen? Why am I so mad about this? Why does it hurt so bad? And why couldn't it be me?

That's it. I got my lyrics. Everything is starting to fit together in my mind. I started scribbling down all of the lyrics that I could think of. Once I was done, I took one final look at my lyrics, before walking over to Nick's keyboard. After punching a few buttons, getting the sound how I wanted it, I started playing whatever came to my head while I sang my song. 

> Tried to turn on the TV to get you out of my head.
> 
> Feeling something deep inside that I just won't admit.
> 
> It's not like I don't wanna commit (wanna commit)
> 
> I just don't now why I can't stop feeling like this.
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Why? Why?
> 
> Does it hurt so bad?
> 
> Tell me Why?
> 
> Why? Why?
> 
> Does it make me mad?
> 
> Tell me, why? Tell me, why?
> 
> Now your off with someone else and I'm stuck at home.
> 
> It's getting late and now I'm feeling so alone.
> 
> Now I can see the storm's not gonna clear (not gonna clear)
> 
> Dressed in my pain and all of my tears.
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Why? Why?
> 
> Does it hurt so bad? (why does it hurt so so bad)
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Why? Why?
> 
> Does it make me mad?
> 
> Tell me, why? Tell me, why?
> 
> Now I paid the cost. Losing you is not all I lost this time.
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Does it hurt so bad? (why does it hurt so so bad)
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Does it make me mad?
> 
> Why? Why? Why? Why?
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Why? Why?
> 
> Does it hurt so bad? (why does it hurt so so bad)
> 
> Tell me, why?
> 
> Why? Why?
> 
> Does it make me mad?

I let out a huge sigh, looking down at the keyboard. I then grabbed the lyrics and looked at it once last time, before setting it down onto Nick's desk. I then walked over to the TV, turning it back on. I finally settled on one of my favourite shows - American Ninja Warrior - opened the recliner chair and sat down. Wow, I really do feel a bit better. It's like all my thoughts and feelings about all this, now are on paper and out of my heart. I still feel kind of upset but at least this helped me a bit. Maybe this song will be good enough to but on our next album.... at least my pain can amount to something. 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, you're actually reading this. That is crazy. Thanks so much.


End file.
